


Hooked

by thelistlesswriter



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Close enough I guess, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Good Jet, M/M, Mild Language, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, Storytelling, can i make it anymore obvious, eventually, haru has the braincell, haru is gay i make the rules now, has freedom fighters content because bryke won’t give me it, i should add that for practical reasons haru doesn’t have a mustache, jet is a dumbass, malicious canon compliance, rarepair so rare there’s zero content with em and i intend to fix this, some underage drinking but it's not important to the plot, the problem with liking side characters is you gotta make content for em yourself, wheres the idiot plot tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:20:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 25,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25772737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thelistlesswriter/pseuds/thelistlesswriter
Summary: “You knew Jet? That dirty, lowlife scum? That Jet? Did he manipulate you, too?”“Why on earth would you even think of talking to that thug? He tried to drown an entire innocent village and beat up an old man!”“Jet wasn’t a great person, Haru- I didn’t know you even knew someone like that...”Now under scrutiny by even the Avatar himself, Haru looked over at Toph helplessly. Shrugging, the other earthbender simply replied, “I’m guessing you’re looking at me for answers, and I don’t have any, sorry. I have no idea what they’re on.”When a night of campfire storytelling at the Western Air Temple gets interrupted, a certain earthbender ends up being peer pressured into sharing his misadventures with a certain resistance leader. A story full of cheap thrills, semi-legal activities, lots of self-discovery, and a weird amount of unspoken tension.Rated T for swearing, and also teenagers.
Relationships: Haru & Jet (Avatar), Haru/Jet, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 54
Kudos: 28





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> yes, you read the ship tag right. haru and jet shipfic, because i’m stupid enough to ship the two characters that don’t even interact in canon and none of you can stop me. also apparently no ones written anything for the two of them, so i gotta do everything myself
> 
> shoutout to my boyfriend quinn, who indulges in and supplies my stupid ass ramblings about these two on the near daily <3 love you hon

The sound of mixed laughter filled the air temple with a feeling of gentle warmth, a soothing feeling of familiarity that grew to be welcoming with the turbulent times ahead. Though they hadn’t been there long, it grew to become a home; a place of security to those who dwelled within its walls, promising much more than safety. With security came a natural feeling of togetherness- an encouraging whisper of camaraderie that all those gathered had embraced, enforcing said camaraderie with small anecdotes shared around the campfire, burning brightly in the middle of the circle of friends turned family. 

Well, all but some. 

Everyone seemed to have something interesting to share, from dangerous, long winded trials of incredible proportions, to funny, entertaining stories from hazy childhood memories from long ago. With these stories came some degree of relatability, with some sparking entirely new tangents that led to even more increasingly tall tales to be shared. Some tales were near-unbelievable, before another would support it with some sort of vague confirmation, and they would quickly move onto the next, words muddling together and mixing into light dinner conversation. 

With all that was happening, a rather quiet young man decided that it would simply be much better to sit and listen, rather than interject with some nonsense that would be quickly forgotten as the night continued. Picking at whatever was left in his bowl, his detached gaze eventually settled on Zuko as he, too, was drawn in by the appeal of storytelling, starting off on some tale of his own. 

Haru was simply there- he didn’t think he had anything of interest to tell. 

Interesting stories, he figured, were simply an added benefit of traveling with the Avatar. It simply made sense, at least to him, that being with the savior of their world and all would mean that he and his friends would be on some epic quest, filled with adventure and excitement beyond his comprehension. He would always be in the wake of it all, seeing only what came after- so was the nature of such ventures. Really, he should be thankful he even came into contact with the Avatar and his gang at all; he did owe a lot to them. A part of him always mentally shamed him for not going with them after the prison break, but, really, the stress of being “important” probably would’ve gotten to him sooner or later. 

The realization sucked, but it was true- Haru had a feeling he was destined to be sidelined from the beginning. Simply put, their story wasn’t his, even if he did happen to be part of it for a little while. 

And he was completely okay with that. 

Even now, he knew he was just a presence, as he hadn’t really been mentioned at all. Katara had brought him up at least twice- once to introduce him, and once in an anecdote about their prison escapade, which got sidelined into some conversation about a dream Sokka had that Momo was in, for some reason. Sure, it kind of hurt to be forgotten so easily, but it wasn’t anything new. Being undetected and unassuming was a skillset of its own that he’d honed in carefully for years, serving as an extra layer of protection from the Fire Nation.

In short, Haru made himself out to be a rather boring, bland individual, with no real life past what little the others knew. And, he figured again, he was so boring, no one dared to ask much about him, so he simply chose not to speak. 

“... and then Jet burst into the Jasmine Dragon and drew his swords, accusing Uncle of heating up his tea. In the tea shop, where we both worked! And I knew he was trying to get me to firebend, but I had my own swords-“

“Jet?”

Processing the words and reacting much faster than he’d intended to, Haru blurted, eyes wide, drawing attention to himself for the first time. Caught entirely off guard by the interruption, Zuko trailed off, intense gaze quickly changing to one of confusion as he cocked an eyebrow at the earthbender, who seemed to falter at the sudden attention, though his question still hung in the air. 

“Yes, Jet. I... met him on the ferry on the way to Ba Sing Se,” the prince answered slowly, unsure where he was going with this. “I don’t know anything about him other than that. He disappeared after what happened in the shop.”

“So you knew him,” Haru seemed satisfied, reaching for a cup of tea, unaware of the tension he’d just created as he paused to take a sip. “I was wondering if he’d actually made it to the city or not, I’m glad to know he’s okay,”

The circle was oddly silent for the first time that night. Exchanging glances and whispers, the bender only noticed when he put his cup down just to see Katara standing dangerously close in front of him, hands on her hips, wearing the most accusatory expression he’d ever seen before. The sight made him reel, skittering back, bowl clattering off to the side, composure forgotten for a second as the waterbender immediately unleashed an onslaught of questions, quickly followed by the others joining in. 

“You knew Jet? That dirty, lowlife scum? _That_ Jet? Did he manipulate you, too?”

“Why on earth would you even think of _talking_ to that thug? He tried to drown an entire innocent village and beat up an old man!”

“Jet wasn’t a great person, Haru- I didn’t know you even _knew_ someone like that...”

Now under scrutiny by even the Avatar himself, Haru looked over at Toph helplessly. Shrugging, the other earthbender simply replied, “I’m guessing you’re looking at me for answers, and I don’t have any, sorry. I have no idea what they’re on.”

“Okay, okay. Back up, please, one at a time,” Sitting up straighter in a vain attempt to save his dignity, the boy reached for his fallen bowl and chopsticks, cleaning up the small mess he made before rejoining the circle properly, wringing his hands in his lap as Katara now sat not too far away from him, keeping him in definite slapping range, eyes still narrowed in suspicion as Haru continued. “Yes, I know _that_ Jet. Yes, I know what he tried to do. Yes, he was my friend. No, I don’t normally know people like that, let alone be friends with someone like that, but I guess there’s a first time for everything.” Coughing, he could only wince as he realized that they still weren’t satisfied, suspicion only intensifying.

“I can’t believe this,” Katara shook her head in complete disbelief, “I won’t believe it.” Looking at him with what could only be described as pitiful puppy eyes, her tone became sullen. “You’re such a nice guy, Haru... you should be friends with someone that actually has a spine, not some angry jerk that only uses you cause he wants to drown some stupid village because he’s insane!” Tone of voice quickly transforming into something much more irate, she crossed her arms and huffed, obviously hurt for reasons everyone could probably easily decipher. “You knew all of this and you still call him your friend? You’re just as crazy as he is.”

“... I, uh, will keep that in mind. For next time.” Haru masked his hurt and confusion by feigning a smile, not enjoying the atmosphere he’d accidentally created. “I’m starting to get the feeling that you all really don’t like this guy.”

“Yeah, you _think?_ ” Sokka scoffed, crossing his own arms to mirror his sister. “He’s messed up, and he really messed with all of us.”

“Not _all_ of us,” Toph was quick to clarify. “Some of us have no idea who this guy even was, not that we really care.”

“I care,” Teo piped up, the only voice of reason in the sea of suspicion. “Not because he’s a bad person, apparently. I’m just kinda curious.” Knowing he knew a little more about the earthbender and was closer to him than the others would care to admit, he continued. “Look, Haru hasn’t gotten the chance to talk all night, and now you’re all going after him for knowing someone’s name! I think it’s time we let him share his story.”

“... Thanks, Teo.” 

“Then you guys can attack him all you want after!” Sending a sly gaze his way, Teo laughed as Haru immediately buried his face in his hands, only peeking between his fingers to send an angry glare right back in his direction. About to act on his slowly growing urge to throw food at the boy, another voice rose in support, taking him entirely by surprise as Zuko became the second to speak.

“I’d, uh, also like to know.” Speaking with about the same certainty as he felt, the banished prince took on some of the suspicion as he talked, confidence from sharing stories earlier not gracing him with its holy presence now. “Like I said, he disappeared, and I didn’t know a lot about him other than he led something called the Freedom Fighters, I think that’s what they were called. He tried to get me to join them.”

Haru couldn’t stop the small smile that snuck onto to his face at that. “You, too?”

“Yeah,” Zuko rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, reminiscing. “I didn’t take him up on it, though. He _did_ try to get me and Uncle arrested.”

“That definitely sounds like something he’d do,” The earthbender mused to himself, looking off to the side, memories resurfacing unwillingly. Katara took the lapse of silence as an opportunity to cast more suspicion onto Zuko, still not entirely trusting of him yet. 

“I bet you would’ve joined him if he hadn’t done that, huh, Zuko?”

“... No. No, I wouldn’t have. And I don’t know what that’s even supposed to mean.”

“I’m calling you a criminal, just like him! You both tried to get us killed!”

“It was one- no, quite a few actually- a lot of times, but I’m not doing it again, I’ve changed, I’ve been trying to tell you!”

“Well, you’re not really helping your case, are you?”

Watching as the group’s attention quickly refocused on the two bickering amongst them, Haru hoped to whatever spirits that were residing both above or below that it would be enough to get him off the hook. The tension was awkward enough with him blurting like an idiot, and it would certainly grow if he told them all the ‘story’ Teo had hinted towards (one that he instantly regretted telling the boy a few nights ago, curse his annoying feelings). Deciding to awkwardly put himself between the two in order to diffuse the situation, not wanting a fight despite being thankful for the distraction, dispersing them with a few sparse words about acting civil, he felt as though he was in the clear, watching them both turn away from each other and not say much else.

“Oh! I thought you looked kinda familiar!”

A voice suddenly rang out, much younger than anyone was expecting, and all eyes now turned towards the Duke, who’d been deep in thought, head propped on a small fist before, knee bouncing, eyebrows knitted together as he’d been scrutinizing Haru carefully the entire time he’d been talking. Now he stood proudly, eyes aglow with recognition, smiling brightly. “You’re the pretty girl Jet brought back to the base that one time, right? With the green thing; I couldn’t see your face well, ‘cause of my helmet, but you both sounded kinda similar!” The sheer amount of joy was near blinding. “How was your date?”

The silence that followed was astounding, and much too long to bear comfortably. 

“... Duke.”

“It’s The Duke!”

“The Duke, sorry. Right.” Haru contemplated his next words carefully, pinching between his brows and taking a deep breath through his nose before releasing it in the form of a defeated sigh. “I- You know what? I’m going to just... give them all a moment.”

A moment was all they needed. 

“You went to his base?!”

“You willingly went _with him_ to his base?!”

“You were on a _DATE_ with him?!”

“You’re a _GIRL???_ ”

“YES!” Haru sounded exhausted, face feeling much warmer than he was ready to admit. Practically burning with embarrassment, his words began to trip over one another. “I mean- no! No to the second half of that, I did go to the treehouse thing, but for the rest, no, solid no! Definitely not! We weren’t-”

“I can tell when you’re lying~” Toph’s signature singsong voice rose to taunt him, and it took all of the boy’s willpower to not immediately launch himself off the nearest balcony. 

“Well, now you’ve definitely gotta tell us,” Sokka, who’d been ever so slightly intrigued before, leaned forward and clasped his hands together, resting his chin on the new support as he sat nearby, giving the earthbender his full attention. “You can’t hear something like that and expect us to not ask for the whole story!”

”You’ve all been asking questions already, so... no. I don’t know what I was expecting. I still hoped you wouldn’t.”

“Aw, c'mon, Haru! I’m sure it isn’t all that bad,” Aang mimed Sokka’s actions similarly, though he instead propped his head right on Momo’s, much to the lemur’s annoyance as the airbender peeked between his large ears with a small, nervous smile. “I know we don’t think Jet’s that great, but if you two really did meet, surely it must’ve been... something!”

“And that _something_ better be a good enough explanation for why you’d choose to hang around someone like that!” Katara was still huffy, though she couldn’t deny her own curiosity, scooting in a little closer in order to hear Haru better. “You better not try to make us think he’s not that bad.”

“Who knows,” Zuko added, sidling in, trying to also move in closer while keeping his distance away from Katara, “maybe he really isn’t, and you’d learn something about giving people second chances.”

“Just start talking, princess- hurry, before they start fighting again!” Toph groaned, the furthest away from the group, almost detached from it entirely, leaning her back against a pack of supplies as she yawned. “And call me over when the story starts gettin’ interesting.”

“C’mon, it’s a great story,” Teo prodded, encouraged by the Duke smiling widely beside him, “You better not leave out the good parts, either. They really are good.”

Sitting cross legged at the head of the group, Haru gaped at the kids gathered around him, finding himself met with similar stares of various intensity. Though he’d stopped himself from talking on purpose before, he now felt himself at a complete loss for words. Teo and the Duke had played his story up to be something interesting, something entirely unbelievable, which felt true in part with how little he believed it all himself. It was just a little series of stupid little escapades- why did they care so much? A selfish part of him still didn’t want to share, just because of how deeply personal they felt, like he was betraying not only his own trust, but Jet’s as well by sharing with others. 

With the heavy focus on him now, though, the poor earthbender was starting to think he didn’t have a choice.

Fidgeting slightly under the unseen pressure, running his thumb over the backs of his knuckles, he finally cracked. 

“... You guys _really_ want to know about me and Jet?”

A series of quick nods followed, along with a small ‘yeah, obviously’ helpfully thrown in by Sokka. 

Taking a moment to gather his thoughts, Haru internally cursed whatever deity that destined for his path to lead up to this exact moment in time, before he took a deep breath, preparing to spin his tale against his will.


	2. Chapter 1: It’s a Long, Long Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I left my village and everything I knew behind. I’d never left before, so, I realized that fending for myself was a lot harder than I thought.”
> 
> “I think I managed alright, though.”

“... You’re tryin’ to go _where_ kid?”

“The North Pole, sir. My friends are going there. I’m just trying to meet up with them.”

“You _do_ realize we only rent out fishin’ boats here, right? For fishin’ ‘round the coast?”

“Any boat’s better than none, sir.”

Haru rummaged around in his bag for a moment, finding seven paltry gold pieces he then slid onto the counter, half-smiling up at the boat renter with a rather impressive amount of feigned confidence.

“It’s not much, but-”

“Look- I’m not rentin’ out a boat for you. The boats here are made for calm, shallow water. Much better for lake fishin’, really. If you took one a’ these out to sea, you’d sink like a stone in those waves.” Shaking his head, the man pushed the gold pieces back across the counter, reaching for the window shutters before the boy could protest. “Keep your money, kid. And maybe get some common sense.”

The boat rental’s wooden shutters swung shut right in his face, and Haru swore he could hear the guy laughing behind them. His hopeful grin quickly fell from his face and he sighed, grabbing the coins from the sill, tossing them back into his bag without much care or second thought. This was the third fishing town he’d stumbled into, and the third time he’d been met with the same response from all three boat places he’d managed to find- no. At least this guy was nicer about it, giving him an understandable reason to not rent, though the last comment just felt completely unnecessary. 

_Spirits_ , he thought to himself plaintively, _what am I even trying to do?_

It seemed like such a simple plan at first- leave his village, learn some real earthbending from the Avatar, and come back a stronger and better person than he was now, finally ready to join the earthbender resistance. Yet he found himself lost, wandering around the Earth Kingdom valleys with barely any money and supplies to last him the surprisingly long trek between villages. Every now and then, he’d be reminded of his father’s last words to him before he’d left, head held high and a defiant look on his face as he’d stormed right out of the family shop, telling him to go, but that they would always wait for him, always ready for him to come back home.

I’m not coming back until I’m better, he’d spat. I’ve already made up my mind. I’m going.

And now, he was stuck trying to steal from strangers just to get by. A vague feeling of unseen parental disappointment settled heavy over him as he strode along the dock, keeping an eye out for any unsuspecting passersby that happened to have small bags of money looped loose enough on their belts to tug away without much notice. He’d then bump into them, grab it while they were distracted, give them a small apology, and walk away as if nothing had happened at all. It was a little risky, but highly effective- a small song and dance he’d picked up from some friends that taught him how to survive while he and his mom were in severe debt. Not that his mom knew what he was doing, nor did she know he did it for her. 

Was it moral? Probably not. Did every single legally-acquired gold piece go towards his totally justifiable cause of wanting to be a better earthbender? Unfortunately, yes. Ostrich-horses didn’t come cheap, and a good sailing boat was insanely expensive. Plus, the North Pole probably had some sort of toll. He didn’t know if it did or didn’t- he’d never been. But he wasn’t keen on taking any chances. 

So it was totally fine. He’d find a way to make up for all the stealing he did, he was sure of it. Besides, he never stole from those who were struggling; only the occasional Earth Kingdom tourist or semi-royal that just so happened to be loaded. 

If they didn’t want to be stolen from, then maybe they should’ve considered not flaunting all their money on them like that. They were, quite literally, walking bags of money. 

Besides, it was either that or starve. He wouldn’t be of much use to anyone if he starved to death, now would he?

Well, he’d either starve to death or get killed by one of the very irate shopkeepers who’d managed to spot him dumping a basketful of apples into his bag and immediately giving chase. Hightailing it out of there, Haru cursed under his breath, barely managing to dodge a thrown cabbage as he ducked behind a low wall, crouching under it and watching the large man run right past, yelling obscenities in his supposed direction, brandishing a knife in his hand. At the sight of the weapon, he internally cringed, mentally marking the man’s shop as the one with a rather gruesome policy against theft. 

Stealing in broad daylight was, admittedly, a very poor decision on his part, but the small fishing town had a surprisingly active trading post, and, with it being a little later in the day, happened to be pretty busy at this hour. The amount of people going about their own business would’ve been the perfect cover if he hadn’t realized that the large trading group providing him said cover had moved away, deciding they had better things to do than mill about the fruit stand. Speaking of fruit, he briefly checked the apples in his bag, hoping they weren’t too badly bruised before he snuck out of there, not wanting to run the risk of getting caught if the guy happened to come back this way.

Tired, hungry, and starting to feel the guilt of stealing from yet another respectable town overtake the rush of thievery, the teenager decided to try to find some shelter- with the money he’d managed to snag off a couple travelers, he figured he could bribe some fisherman into letting him crash in a storage silo or something for a few nights.

 _Or you could just be honest,_ his conscience reminded him, _say you’re a refugee who’s been displaced by the war. If they have a heart, they’ll probably let you stay._

_You managed to convince your mom to let Katara and her friends stay. Surely someone else would do the same._

Nodding in agreement with himself, he set off in search of someone who would, hopefully, not recognize him from the short chase earlier, which had turned quite a few heads as he’d weaved between patrons, various forms of produce flying after him in pursuit.

—

Apparently, the world just _loved_ to prove Haru wrong. 

For some reason, someone with a heart was _really_ hard to find. It took the promise of unpaid labor to convince this haggard old woman to let him stay at one of the fishing huts near the end of the dock. He wasn’t even sure if he could do what she asked- he knew very little about fish, nor turning them into jerky. Sure, he knew how to cook somewhat, but when it came to breaking down an entire mud-halibut, he was at a complete loss. Oh well, he’d mused, pushing open the door to the hut and wrinkling his nose at the pungent smell, he’d figure it out eventually. 

As he stepped inside and nearly slipped on something that he really hoped was just fish oil, he started wondering if it was too late to revoke his promise. The small hut was very dingy, reed-lined walls splintering, its sole window looking as though it was about to collapse under the sheer weight of the many fish bones that hung from its wooden frame. Platypusbearskins lay unceremoniously stacked on top of one another, the flies buzzing around one that lay crumpled near the wall indicating that it was, most likely, fresh. A singular table with a stool stood opposite the door, half of it covered in wax from melted candles that weren’t scraped away, instead simply placed on top of the remains of its brethren, securing it fast to the wood that was stained various shades of red, which was concerning with the amount of deboning cutlery that cluttered its surface. 

Haru half-hoped that the setting sun would set faster, so that the darkness could better help convince him he was sleeping in the family barn while the smell clearly told him otherwise.

“This is… not pleasant,” the earthbender deduced to exactly no one. 

But a roof over his head was still a roof, so he found the cleanest corner of the hut to set his things down in. Kneeling, he dug through his bag once more, taking out a thin bedroll and a neatly bundled set of papers, heading over to the messy table after laying the blanket over a stiff platypusbearskin he’d pulled from the pile, using it as a barrier between himself and the cold, damp floor. 

Unfurling the bundle, he smoothed the paper out, grabbing the ink and brush that lay inside, getting to work. His father had given him a map a few weeks ago that detailed where exactly his led rebellions were planned to take place, already planning to launch a series of underground attacks on villages overtaken by the Fire Nation days before Haru decided to leave.

It would be useful for finding out where he was going if he hadn’t accidentally torn it like an idiot. 

So, armed with lackluster art skills, legally-acquired paper, and an unhealthy amount of determinism, he’d taken to creating an entirely new map from scratch, using the few pieces he still had left of the old map for reference. It didn’t look pretty, but it served its purpose- he’d been using it to take notes on towns and keep track of any of the Avatar’s whereabouts. His route towards the North Pole had been largely driven by gossip, as rumors of a bald monk with arrow tattoos soaring high above on a beast with brown and white fur definitely curated whenever either of the two passed through. Using this as a point of reference, he’d charted a flight path, starting from his own village directly towards the North, guesstimating where the group had been and where they planned to go. 

Tracking down the Avatar felt very… odd. Endangering, even. While the monk and his friends had many allies, he was sure to have many enemies- ones that would kill for the map the bender laid upon the table, despite its possible inaccuracies. It was a possible lead, and he’d been very careful about keeping it concealed away from prying eyes.

Luckily, the night was fast approaching, ensuring that a majority of the world wouldn’t try barging into his life anytime soon. This time. Digging around in his pockets, he pulled out some spark rocks, lighting the candle nestled in the table to help him see as he continued to work, brushing quick notes in the margins of the map, marking down any new news he’d managed to overhear.

The notes had quickly turned to random doodles as the night stretched on, boredom and loneliness eating away at his mind as he let it wander. When he tried drawing Appa from memory and ended up with a vaguely amorphous blob with seven legs, he knew he’d been up for far too long.

As he turned in for the night, snuffing out the candle and attempting to somehow make himself comfortable on the scratchy skin, he wondered why he was putting himself through all this trouble. Would it even be worth it? He could just learn from his father and the other freed earthbenders, but something kept telling him that simply wouldn’t be enough. Besides, he couldn’t even bend right. Only with his hands, always pushing outward, never with his whole body. 

_Just like a firebender_ , he thought bitterly. The vitriol in his father’s voice when he’d uttered that stuck deep in his heart like boarqupine quills. 

A passing thought about restoring honor crept into his mind, and he dismissed it quickly. The boy had honor- he just wanted to be stronger. He wasn’t trying to prove anything to anyone.

Was he?

—-

“How’s the jerky coming along?” Shuffling over to Haru, the wrinkly old woman peered over his shoulder, eyes narrowing as she sidled in, uncomfortably close to the seated teen as he fiddled with the piece of dead fish in his hands, attempting to pull strips off of it. “Ya better not be takin’ any pieces fer yourself now, ya hear?”

“It’s… uh… it’s coming, and I promise, that’s the last thing on my mind,”

“Attaboy!” Grinning widely, the lady clapped him on the shoulder with a lot more force than one would expect from a frail old woman, making him flinch, eyeing the other warily as she hobbled off towards the trading post, leaving him to work alone at the edge of the dock. “I’ll be back soon- better put your back into it!”

“Yes, ma’am,” he nodded, sitting up, finding himself working with more vigor, and he briefly thought back to his mother, who would often chastise him with those same exact words as he struggled to haul hay back to the barn. She’d always been disappointed with his wiry frame, but he figured his ability to bend should’ve been able to help make up for his lack of physical prowess- if he was allowed to earthbend while doing his chores, they would've gone by so much faster. If the circumstances back home had been better...

He hadn’t realized that he’d stopped his actions entirely, staring blankly into the eye of the poor mud-halibut, which simply stared right back, its mouth agape, as if it were, for some reason, about to laugh at him for getting sentimental for no good reason at all.

“What are you looking at?” He challenged, raising the knife in his hand, before he realized he was getting offended by a dead animal. 

Groaning, he dug the knife back into the fish, separating the flesh from the bone in one swift movement, pulling the piece of fish and tossing it into the barrel that sat to his left, sinking into the mysterious mixture that he swore smelled like salt and something else that stung his nose every time he breathed too close to it. Wanting to get away from the stuff, he picked up the pace once more, messily cutting and breaking down the fish til it was nothing but a pile of bones. Unsure what to do with the rest of it, he simply scraped the mess off the table and into the water, watching it all sink downwards, the bones glinting in the morning sun before being quickly swallowed by the blue depths. 

For some weird reason, he felt an urge to apologize to the animal for what he’d just done, but he shook his head- that was stupid, and he was being stupid. What he really needed to do was get all the blood off of his hands and sleeves before it started to stain. 

“Sorry about that, fish,” He knelt at the edge of the dock, dipping his hands into the water and scrubbing, pulling on the edge of one sleeve to wring it out. “Don’t think you asked for any of that… not like you could to begin with. Fish can’t talk,” He paused, staring back down at the water, “I… really hope they can’t.”

Haru realized that, with the crazy old woman gone, he was now filling in for her with his own form of insanity. Forcing himself to focus on literally anything else in an attempt to keep himself sane, he dried his hands and headed back over to the barrel, finding its lid and placing it on top, sealing the fish inside, along with the smell, which he was very grateful for.

He’d just finished moving the barrel back to a storage hut when the old lady returned, announcing her presence with a small wave, hobbling towards him as he double checked to make sure everything seemed to be in order. Back turned, he didn’t notice that there were many more footsteps with her than before. 

“I’m back, boy! Did you finish?”

“Yes, somehow,” Turning with a sigh, he was about to acknowledge her with a wave of his own before he froze, eyes wide, finding himself face to face with not only the lady, but several Fire Nation soldiers. 

“We’re here to collect this village’s fishing contributions.” A soldier stepped forward, the lack of a helmet signifying he was their captain, and raised a brow, staring down at the earthbender, who stood stiffly, fists clenched tightly at his sides. “Who are you?”

“My name is Hakku- I was helping this lady with her fish,” He explained, forcing himself to try to relax, stepping aside and gesturing to the stack behind him. “I’m… new around here. This is my first job.”

He was suddenly very aware how obviously fake his “name” sounded, and hoped the guards weren’t too hung up on Earth Kingdom names. 

“I can tell,” The old lady cut in, suddenly behind him and peeking into one of the barrels, peering into it judgmentally and giving it a sniff, “a messy job you did there- good thing yer not bein’ paid today!” Her following cackle did very little to ease his nerves, though he did his best to try to laugh along.

The other soldiers simply stood during the exchange, discussing something amongst themselves as they stayed completely still. Their captain, still staring down Haru, cocked his head quickly, and the soldiers immediately moved forward, walking forward in solid formation, spears raised… right past the boy, each one grabbing a barrel instead. 

If he had been holding his breath, he would’ve passed out right then and there.

“Mind giving me a hand?” One of the soldiers asked him, attempting to carry three barrels at once, strained voice barely audible under the helmet. Though a large part of him was tempted to say no, let the guy try to carry all three and see if he falls, but his conscience and upbringing mentally yelled at him, and he nodded, going over to grab the topmost barrel from the stack before it tipped over. Nodding in thanks, the soldier made a head movement towards a large ship at the end of the dock, one that he somehow never noticed before, the all too familiar plumes of smoke rising from it giving him unwarranted flashbacks.

“We need to carry at least forty of these all the way back to the ship,” The soldier began grumbling lowly beside Haru as the two walked along, flanked by two more soldiers in front and behind. “Who does the captain think we are, pack animals?”

“It seems… a little unfair.” The earthbender sympathized, keeping his eyes down as the soldier looked over at him, suddenly laughing, the muffled sound coming off much more forceful than intended.

“He works us right down to the bone! I joined to fight in the war, not be someone’s errand boy,”

“Right,” Readjusting his hold on the barrel, he briefly glanced up at the man beside him, who he guessed was smiling for some inane reason. “Should you be… talking about it so loudly,”

“You’re starting to sound like my co-workers,” The man sighed, and Haru realized just how young the guy’s voice sounded. “Nah, I probably shouldn’t. But I don’t have anyone else to complain about it to.”

“That’s because the captain would whoop your ass, Rahn.” A soldier behind them helpfully replied. “We like you, but we would prefer to stay on the ship. Alive.”

“Oh, be quiet, Shuu! You know I’m right! If the stuck-up thinks a little complaining is enough to warrant drowning at sea, he might as well drown this whole regiment! You never shut up about having to scrub down the boilers,”

“That’s because you’ve never had to do it. I had to do it for five hours yesterday!”

“Boiler boy.”

“Shut up!”

The soldiers all broke out into laughter as they boarded the ship, and for a moment, Haru forgot what kingdom these soldiers fought for. It felt just like something he’d overheard from the few Earth Kingdom army encampments he’d stumbled upon, and the fact it felt familiar made him uncomfortable in a way he couldn’t put into words. 

At least he didn’t laugh along. Seeing a tough, hard-as-nails Fire Nation soldier get called “Boiler Boy” _was_ pretty funny, though.

As he set the barrel down alongside the others, handing them off to more soldiers who took them down below, he spotted the Fire Nation soldiers grouped together at the bottom of the boat ramp, furtively glancing over their shoulders every now and then. Though he was confused, he kept walking, for once being eager to get back to the fishing hut, when the group dispersed, half leaving the dock and heading into town while the other half lined the dock, appearing to be on the lookout for something. 

Unfortunately, the action of them lining the dock kept Haru from leaving it undetected.

Not that he was doing anything suspicious- he’d just learned to be on high alert, suspicion and paranoia kicking into high gear as he crossed, instincts screaming at him, telling him that something was _definitely wrong_ , trying to avoid any suspicious gazes thrown his way as his walk slowly sped up to a run, racing down the dock, finding himself panicking once more. 

Haru skidded to a stop just before he reached the fishing huts. The old lady was talking to the captain, and he saw a soldier leave the hut he’d been staying in, his bag hanging from his hand, who walked over and handed it to the captain, saying something he couldn’t hear.

He’d barely taken one step back before he felt himself bump against solid steel. Spinning around, he found himself face to face with the same soldiers from earlier, who were now circling him, effectively blocking any chance of escape.

“So… Hakku, you said your name was?” Parting, the circle moved to make way for the captain, who wore a look of twisted glee. “We’d heard of an earthbender who attacked our warden and broke out of one of our prison rigs. I believe his name was rather similar.”

Hands suddenly grabbed his shoulders, yanking him back, pinning his arms behind him before he could even try to bend. A click was the last thing he heard before feeling something heavy and metal clasp, unable to move his hands and forearms. As he struggled to escape their grip, he glared at the captain, who still smiled that sick, twisted smile of pure satisfaction, tempted to spit in his face right then and there.

“I don’t believe you’d be willing to try that stunt again, now would you?” The sneer practically dripped from his voice, and Haru felt sick to his stomach, glare intensifying as he turned to leave, heading off towards the trading town, waving a dismissive hand signal as he did so. “Take him to camp- we’ll figure out what to do with him in the morning.”

“You smug piece of sh-” One of the soldiers holding him had grabbed his headband without him realizing, yanking it down and tightening it over his mouth, muffling his angry speech as they scooped him up, slinging him over their shoulder like a sack of vegetables, cutting him off from his connection to the ground. 

“Sorry about this,’ The soldier holding him muttered, and he recognized him as the one he’d helped earlier, and he tried to kick him, foot slamming against the armor, still struggling. “Man, and you seemed so nice, too,”

“Then put me down! I helped you!” Fuming, the earthbender insulted him, but the fabric over his mouth reduced his words to muffled nonsense, allowing the soldier to simply ignore him and continue marching.

As the regiment carried him away, he stared at the fishing huts, watching them get smaller and smaller. Before they disappeared from view, he spotted the old woman, who’d disappeared soon after talking to the captain, the same one who’d given him a job and a place to stay.

He swore he saw her at the end of the dock, sitting at the table where he’d been working that morning, sifting through a pile of coins she definitely didn’t have before, and _smiling._

\---

It was one thing to just be paranoid- it was another for his paranoia to actually be _right_.

Stuck with his ankles chained to a wooden pole like some sort of animal, Haru let his head fall against it with a solid _thunk_ , unable to do anything else. The soldiers gathered around the fire in front of him paid no attention to him, going about their own business, eating, laughing, sparring. They’d given up trying to get him to talk hours ago- interrogating him about anything that was in his bag turned out to be a fruitless effort, as he was too stubborn to talk, even when they’d removed the gag. When questioned about his whereabouts, demanding to know more about the map, he’d simply glare at them, clenching his jaw and looking away.

It earned him many a kick in the ribs, sure, but he was fine with that. At least they didn’t burn his map. They did take his food, though, which was unfortunate- he hadn’t had good food for a while. 

Clenching his hands, he tried to get blood flowing to them again, as they were starting to feel numb being pinned behind his back for so long. He’d been feeling around his restraints, and came to the conclusion that, whatever these cuffs were, he absolutely hated them. There was nothing inside that he could pull loose, and he couldn’t slam them against something to break them- the metal was simply too thick, and he’d just be drawing more attention to himself, which he simply didn’t need right now, not after trying to escape multiple times and the soldiers growing increasingly aggravated with every single failed attempt.

His best bet was being patient and waiting until the whole camp fell asleep. Even if they stationed soldiers to watch over him, he could probably figure something out.

He’d have to do it fast, though- the sun had already set, and he had zero new escape plans. He hit his head against the pole again, loudly, as if the impact would somehow force his brain to work harder.

“Stop that!” A nearby soldier suddenly let loose a stream of fire in his direction, scorching the pole behind him. If he hadn’t ducked and fallen on his side, he would’ve lost a majority of his face to the flames. Swearing, he squeezed his eyes shut, the impact from falling sending waves of pain coursing through his body, his bruised ribs practically screaming in protest.

Curled up on his side, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes, unable to talk or bend, he could feel the shame and humiliation rise up inside of him, eating away at him from the inside out. He was pathetic, terrified beyond belief at the prospect of being sent away again, this time without anyone knowing, without anyone coming to help. He hated giving up, being much too stubborn for his own good, but reality was starting to set in, and he didn’t know what to do other than pray for some kind of miracle.

He didn’t need to open his eyes to know that the soldier was laughing at him, and, if he was able to see himself right now, _he_ would’ve laughed, too.

A lone bird call echoed through the forest encampment, followed by a crash, quieting the soldiers, who quickly stopped what they were doing. Words were exchanged, and half the camp left to investigate, leaving a few behind to guard the forest encampment. reaching for their weapons, a couple going over to Haru, armed and ready for him if he chose to take advantage of the situation. 

Trying to sit up as best he could, he glared up at his captors, who kept their backs turned to him as his brain raced, now presented with an opportunity to do something. If he could just stand, or even just roll forward…

He didn’t have time to process what happened as the two guards in front of him were suddenly pulled to the side, a blur of red and blue slamming into them and practically bowling them over. 

The rest of the guards, taking notice, yelled something the teenager barely remembered, running towards their fallen comrades, when someone fell from the trees, taking down even more soldiers with him as he landed on top of them, swords raised high.

And Haru couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sight. 

Moving with grace and skill he’d never seen before, the guy suddenly turned with a yell, the end of his sword catching onto the ankle of an attacking soldier, sweeping and launching him into one of the tents, which quickly collapsed. Two more soldiers, apparently not seeing their comrade get launched seconds prior, attempted to rush the boy all the same, one with his spear raised as the other began firebending, launching a stream of fire at his feet. Simply jumping out of the way, he laughed, catching the end of the spear with his swords and twisting it out of the soldier’s grip, kicking him in the stomach before dodging another stream of fire, _flipping backwards,_ swords raking into the dirt, steadying him before he prepared to attack again.

“So close,” He jeered, standing, barely even breaking a sweat as he cocked his head to the side, “Wanna try again?”

The soldier simply ran forward, fire wrapping around his fist as he charged, and the stood his ground, waiting, til he was close enough to throw a thin ball and chain, which wrapped around the soldier’s flaming wrist, and he yanked the man forward, spinning before kicking him square in the chest, pulling the chain free at the last moment, sending the man careening to the ground.

With all the soldiers taken care of, the boy approached each one, poking them with his sword before searching them, clearly looking for something as he unhooked a small bag from his belt, tossing random things into them before quickly going over towards the supply crates, raiding them as well.

Haru was still processing what had just happened when something landed at his feet, and, recognizing his things, finally looked up. The guy was standing in front of him, a serious look on his face that he could barely see in the dim light. A stick dangled from his mouth, which he was, presumably, chewing on as he fished something from his bag that he quickly recognized as the familiar jingle of keys.

“We don’t have much time,” He warned, moving behind him now, and he heard a click, feeling the cold metal binding his arms together finally give way, clattering to the ground. Taking a moment to shake his arms to get the blood flowing to them, untying his headband from around his mouth and putting it back on properly, the earthbender quickly stood, nodding, mouth suddenly dry as he did a double take.

The boy was wearing Fire Nation clothes. Why was he saving him?

He didn’t realize that he’d just been standing there when the guy grabbed his shoulder, shaking him out of it. “Look, I broke the chain- we don’t have a lot of time before they all come back. Get your stuff,”

Apparently, he’d jinxed their arrival, because the moment he’d grabbed his things, the rest of the regiment came back to find their camp decimated, and their prisoner freed. Before they could properly react to the two, though, Haru jumped forward, sweeping an arm upwards and pulling a large section of earth upwards, immediately punching it towards the stunned soldiers, bowling most of them down. Those who managed to be lucky and not get clipped by the stone immediately gave chase. 

“Earthbender,” he quickly explained, turning and running after the other, who simply gave him a nod, beckoning him to follow. 

The two boys ran until the Fire Nation boy suddenly grabbed his wrist, pulling him to the side and ducking behind a large tree, pulling him uncomfortably close to ensure they were properly hidden. They both sat perfectly still, backs pressed against the tree, the hand still wrapped tightly around his wrist starting to get distracting, the close contact making him squirm, wordlessly raising his hand and tugging a little, trying to signal for him to let go, which failed utterly. Resigned, he let it fall back down, joining him in watching the troops run right past, shouting after them into the night. 

“... Your hand,” Haru finally mentioned, keeping his voice soft. 

Focused on the retreating backs of the troops, the boy beside him blinked, finally registering his words. “Oh, sorry.” Letting go, he turned to fully face him now, smirking. “You’re not gonna thank me or anything? For saving your life and all,”

“Uh, right, sorry,” Sitting up straighter, Haru finally managed to look the other guy in the eye, managing to smile a little in return. “Thanks for helping me out. I thought I was done for,”

“I was kidding, but… hey, don’t mention it,” The teens both lapsed into silence at that, hearing a few of the soldiers coming back, returning to their camp. Once they were sure no one else was coming their way, the boy spoke again, glancing over. “You got a name, kid?”

Deciding to ignore the fact that they were clearly the same age, the earthbender offered out a hand. 

“I’m Haru. What about you?”

Apparently not understanding, the other boy eyed his hand warily, before finally taking it, grip firm as he shook his hand. 

“Jet,” he said with a smile. “Call me Jet.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when will this update?? i’m unsure but i finally pumped this out and i’m super proud of it! hope y’all enjoy


	3. Chapter 2: The Hideaway

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So, he saved you from some Fire Nation soldiers. Big deal, you’ve been saved from them before, _we’ve_ saved you from them before,”
> 
> “Big deal? Sokka, I thought I was going to die- no one else would’ve come for me if he hadn’t. I was alone. I didn’t have anyone else.”
> 
> “But you would’ve figured it out eventually, right? You’re smart- something would’ve come to you.”
> 
> “Well… something didn’t. But that’s okay. Because someone did. And that still matters to me, even if it doesn’t to you. The fact that anyone came for me at all.”
> 
> “...”
> 
> “And he didn’t _just_ save me. He’s saved so many others, you know. He went above and beyond when he didn’t have to. So… can we please at least respect that much?”

“You holding up okay?”

“Yes, I’m doing just fine, Jet… You don't have to hold me up, I can walk,”

The subsequent stumbling that followed quickly disproved this point, the steady arm slung around Haru’s shoulders being the only thing keeping him from tumbling face-first into the dirt.

“Oh, you can walk, you say,” Jet grinned, unable to help himself. 

“I can! I can, I swear, there was just… a stick. I stepped on it back there,”

As Jet chuckled quietly, Haru’s ears burned from embarrassment, and he spared a quick glance over his shoulder, trying to confirm the existence of the previously mentioned stick. Unable to find anything vaguely stick-like behind him, he groaned to himself, mentally cursing his own stupidity and clumsiness. This guy’s first impression of him was already… not that great, and he felt as though he were only bound to make it worse. 

It was a hidden talent of his, apparently- making horrible, _horrible_ first impressions on everyone he happened to meet.

Luckily, both of them were too preoccupied with their current situation to think too hard about the unspoken awkwardness. The two had lost the Fire Nation troops a while ago, having made their quick escape under cover of darkness, now starting off on some random dirt path that they hoped led towards a village. Or, at the bare minimum, some place that had kind people that weren’t so quick to sell them out.

Or happened to be occupied with Fire Nation.

Or try and kill them.

Or all three. Not necessarily in that order.

Either way, staying on this path was their best bet, or so Haru had insisted, not wanting to take any more chances with someone he’d just met. Though Jet _did_ save him and was now helping him walk, he still felt paranoia begin to rise, sitting uncomfortably inside of him like a heavy stone, weighing down his morality in favor of panicked assumptions and backup plans in case something went awry. Multiple “why’s” also burned in the back of his mind, brain still racing to figure out why on earth someone from the Fire Nation would stop to save him, and why _he_ trusted the guy enough to let him do so much as touch him. Granted, his first attempt to try and walk off on his own had ended in disaster, as the running from before combined with a badly bruised side had caused him to nearly crumple onto the ground in pain, the adrenaline from the chase now gone from his body, no longer distracting him from just how much everything _hurt._

Jet hadn’t been so quick to catch him that time- only offering a hand out _after_ Haru scraped his hands in a vain attempt to catch himself, narrowing his eyes at the other and rejecting his offer, watching him barely stifle back a laugh. It was only after a curt apology did he even begin to consider the closely followed second offer of help, and even then, he still found himself hesitating.

He hated having to depend on a complete stranger to help him do something as simple as walk- but he had no other choice. Either he accepted the fact that he needed help now, at least for a little while, and that this guy was generous enough to provide it, or he refused, stuck lying in the dirt out in the middle of nowhere, injured to an unknown extent, with no food or water to keep him going long enough to reach the next village.

Hyperfocused on his thoughts, the bender didn’t notice when an actual stick happened to find its way under his foot, causing him to trip once again. The shock made him nearly roll his ankle, hold slipping as he scrambled to catch himself, grabbing onto the nearest thing next to him, which just so happened to be Jet, whose reflexes were quicker and much more dignified than his own, grabbing his shoulders to try to steady him once more, stopping in place to allow the other teen to regain his balance. Haru, seized in his moment of panic, failed to realize that he was practically clinging to his rescuer, hands tangled in the fabric of the other’s red tunic, pulling the two much too close together for comfort. 

Now it was _Jet's_ turn to point out the closeness, being trapped in the other boy’s arms for, perhaps, a moment too long. “... You _sure_ you’re okay? You’re really jumpy,”

Despite how long the moment was, it still took a while for the clingier of the two to realize what he was doing. The moment the realization did hit, he was quick to untangle himself, pulling away with a sheepish smile, dusting himself off, trying to brush the awkward contact off as if it were a fine layer of dust. This ended up being a mistake, as the sudden movements were a bit too sudden, unleashing yet another aching wave of pain that coursed through his body, quickly turning his smile into a barely-concealed grimace. Though he’d just pulled away, he opted to leave a hand on the other’s shoulder, hand resting on the armor for brief support as he focused on holding himself together.

“Don’t worry, it’s nothing. Just give me a second… I’m sorry about that,”

The other boy’s brows knitted in concern, but he obliged, waiting for Haru to steady his breathing before deciding to speak again. 

“We can find a smoother path, you know,” Jet offered, looking around, despite the fact that there were, clearly, no other paths to be found. “Or I could c-”

“No, it’s okay,” Cutting him off, he unconsciously gripped the armor tighter. “I’d... rather stay on the ground. Where the earth is,”

“Right,” Nodding his head slowly, the nonbender spotted a small patch of grass off to the side, with a large, sloped rock that lay in the middle, and started heading towards it, guiding the other along as he gestured towards the area, which seemed ethereal in the early morning light. “C’mon, let’s take a break. We’ve been walking for a while. And you don’t have to lie to me- I know you’re hurt.”

“It’s not that bad,”

“It’s not that good, either. Don’t push yourself too hard,”

Though rebuttals instantly sprang up to the front of his mind, Haru realized he was in no position to complain, allowing himself to be led over. Letting go and sitting on the lowest portion of sloped rock, folding his legs, he looked over at the other, finally able to see him fully, the darkness from the night before no longer impeding his vision.

Arms crossed, back leaned against the raised part of the stone, gaze focused low to the ground, wearing a mismatch of clothing from many different nations, Jet still remained a mystery to the earthbender. Their interactions had been surface level at best, and embarrassing at worst. A myriad of questions danced on the tip of his tongue, but distrust told him it would be best to save them for another time, or, better yet, not ask them at all. They were taking a break, anyway- perhaps a moment of quiet was just something they both needed, something to help them recover from the action of the previous night.

A soft breeze whistled through the largely empty plain, mussing their hair and gently rustling the tall grass that surrounded them. 

In the midst of the peaceful moment, Haru suddenly became _very_ aware of the distance put between them. 

Turned away from him, Jet had fallen silent, but a couple quick glances over made him begin to suspect that, with the way he appeared to be fidgeting, fingers pinching and pulling at the end of a ripped sleeve, he was not nearly as composed as he was being led to believe. 

Before he could try to check in on the nonbender, mustering the confidence to even open his mouth, the embarrassment from before still gnawing at him, Jet spoke up first, stealing his attention away from his thoughts.

“So, Haru… What’s your next move,” Looking over at him, the two made eye contact as he continued. “I’m guessing getting captured by the Fire Nation wasn’t part of any of your plans,”

“No, it wasn’t.” Haru sighed, annoyance seeping into his tone as he recalled the series of events that led up to his capture. “I still can’t believe I got arrested again.”

“... Again?” 

“Yeah.” He stared down at the ground, bringing a hand up to rub at his eyes, exhaustion causing him to let his guard down, threatening to make him spill his truths. A large part of him knew how desperately he wanted to- he’d been completely alone for nearly a couple weeks now, and he‘d already started talking to empty space. Common sense, however, reminded him to hold it back. He still knew nothing about the other, and the other knew little about him. It would be much safer to keep it that way.

Common sense _also_ made him realize just how incriminating what he said was, and he cursed himself for nearly letting slip yet another thing the other teen didn’t need to know about right now. “I’m not a criminal or anything, though. I’m just… always in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Jet managed a small chuckle at that. “I get it. Guess you’re pretty glad that wasn’t the case yesterday,”

“I wouldn’t call being arrested and chained to a pole in the middle of a Fire Nation camp a right place to be,”

“Good point, but, hey- at least it was a Fire Nation camp that I happened to be raiding,”

“Heh, I guess that’s true.” Allowing himself the smallest of smiles, Haru then paused for a moment, partially aware of the unanswered question still hanging between them. He was still mentally fighting himself on how much honesty he could afford to share, as well as what the answer to said question would be. Sighing, he finally decided to settle on a handful of half-truths.

”But, uh… to answer your question. I don’t really know. I can’t go back home, and all the villages I’ve been to have people who would probably turn me right back in. And now something in my side is probably broken.” Looking down, he gingerly placed a hand on the bruised area, wincing again. “Maybe I’ll try to make camp right here- I might not have much, but I’ll make it work.”

“You barely have anything,” The nonbender was quick to point out, “Your bag was pretty light- they took whatever you had,”

“That’s fair, I guess. I stole it first,” Laughing shallowly at the irony, the teen shook his head, stubbornness preventing him from admitting to the severity of the situation. “I’ll figure it out, though; you can go. Don’t worry about me,”

Silence fell between them once more, allowing a calm breeze to wind its way through the plain and make its presence known. Eyelids feeling heavy, Haru allowed himself to slump forward, moving carefully, drawing his knees up and resting his chin on them, loosely hugging himself as he half-heartedly watched blades of wheatgrass dance in the wind, the surrounding plains appearing to blur together in his tired eyes. 

A part of him knew how stupidly vulnerable he looked, but he was too out of it to care. Pity and pride were last on the list of things he should be worried about. 

He didn’t realize that he’d drifted off until he felt a hand on his shoulder, rousing him and finding Jet kneeling right in front of him, now at eye level.

“You’re running from the Fire Nation, right,”

Haru simply raised a brow. “Who else,”

“Then I might know a place where you can stay,” He offered out a hand, expecting him to take it. The earthbender eyed him warily, though he couldn’t deny his curiosity as Jet continued. “Look, I know you probably don’t trust me, but… whether you do or not, we both know that I can’t just leave you here. You said it yourself- you don’t have much, and you’re hurt. Let me help you.”

Haru still didn’t know if it was the lack of sleep or actually hearing the harsh truth spelled out for him that finally convinced him to nod and take his hand.

Either way, some part of him, the part that usually yelled at him for being so unsure, so uncertain and all too trusting, was silent.

Something he chose, for once, felt right.

\---

“Alright, we’re here,”

“... _Where_ is here again?”

Unslinging his arm from around the other’s shoulders, Haru took a few steps forward, looking around in confusion. The trek here had been shorter than expected, and the thick forest that spread out in front of them seemed a little too similar to the forest they’d ran from. He highly doubted it was the same forest- he didn’t remember the ground being so… crunchy sounding. If the ground had been this cluttered with dead leaves when they’d been escaping, their very own feet would’ve betrayed them in an instant.

“My forest,” Jet nonchalantly replied, heading behind a tree and untying something, “It’s the safest place I know.”

“That’s… reassuring,” Unsure if they were waiting for something to happen, Haru leaned against a tree, watching the other fiddle with a rope of some kind. “There’s practically nothing around here- this isn’t a trick or anything, right,”

“No tricks, I promise. I meant it when I said I wanted to help you,” Reappearing in front of the tree, he motioned Haru over, the end of the rope he was holding disappearing up into the canopy above, the sheer height of the surrounding forest making the earthbender’s head spin. Jet, failing to notice, continued talking, despite the obvious fact that the other wasn’t listening, and was instead still gazing upwards, transfixed by the sunlight peeking through the leaves as he tried to figure out where the rope ended. 

“Anything you wanna ask before we go?” Those were the last words Haru managed to process, and he blinked, trying to snap himself out of it. _Ask? About what? Anything?_

“How high up does the rope go…?”

“Pretty high up, why,”

“No reason, just… wondering.”

Giving him an odd look, Jet shrugged, reaching out to grab his wrist, hooking an arm around Haru, pulling him in close. At the sudden contact, he all but froze, stiffening in his grasp as the nonbender moved to readjust them both, ensuring that he was holding onto him, too. It wasn’t too uncomfortable, but he found himself looking off in every direction but Jet’s.

Haru tried to ask what was going on, but for some reason, the words simply refused to come out right, no matter how hard he tried.

“Now let me ask you something; are you scared of heights?”

“... Kind of,”

“You should probably just close your eyes then,”

“Close my eyes for wh-“

Without warning, the ground suddenly disappeared from right under them, and Haru was _definitely_ not freaking out. Sure, he _may_ have been clinging on too tightly to the other’s tunic again, and he _might_ have sworn a little. He was _not_ keeping his face buried away, squeezing his eyes shut in a vain attempt to stop himself from panicking, because he wasn’t panicking at all. The dizzying ascent upwards was totally calm and normal- most of it just so happened to be slipping his mind when he recalled the event.

The important thing was that, as fast as it had happened, it was over. 

“Haru? You can let go now,”

Feet now planted firmly on solid… wood?..., Haru tentatively cracked an eye open, slowly letting go, unburying himself, about to give him yet another awkward string of apologies, when he finally noticed where they were.

Swathed in the golden mid-afternoon light that peered through the equally golden leaves above, the large wooden base presented to them appeared to stretch on for miles, hanging rope bridges connecting the small wooden huts, ziplines crisscrossing between them, creating not just a base, but a carefully made home. Children of various ages zipped about, laughter filling the air as they practically flew through the forest, a few whizzing past waving up at them before disappearing. The whole base seemed so alive, with kids constantly moving, always doing something, carrying supplies and making weapons, some even repairing fallen bridges and setting up new huts. Though it all looked crudely made, with rags for doors and uneven planks for walls, there was certainly nothing crude about the product of their efforts.

Haru would be lying if he said he wasn’t completely stunned. 

“This is it- our home,” Jet stood by him, gesturing towards everything with a small twinge of pride in his voice, “Built it ourselves. Keeps us hidden away, so the Fire Nation can’t even think of touching us. You’ll be safe here,”

The earthbender stood wide eyed, rendered near speechless by the sight alone. When he did manage to speak, he attempted to pick the most accurate way to describe how he felt.

“You… made all of this?... Holy shi-“

Jet was quick to elbow him in the arm, making him yelp. “Hey, watch it- there’s little kids here.”

“Sorry, it’s just…” Haru took a few steps forward, gazing around in awe, fear of heights forgotten momentarily as he, too, gestured at everything as wildly as his body would allow, a childish sense of pure amazement overtaking him. “Everything? This whole base, made by you and how many kids? You guys made _all_ of this? This is incredible, Jet- the fact that I’m still standing on this platform is- and you have all these zip lines, that’s so clever- and all these kids, I’m guessing you took them all in, too?” Laughing in pure disbelief, he forced himself to calm down, not wanting to get swept away in his own emotions. “It’s… I’ve never seen anything like it,”

Still distracted, Haru didn’t realize that the other boy had fallen silent, just as he had before, and he began to worry, thinking that he’d made him uncomfortable with his sudden onslaught of compliments. His worries were quickly alleviated when Jet snapped out of it, a tiny smile appearing on his face as he looked off to the side.

“... Thanks, Haru,”

“Of course,” Haru returned the smile in kind, facing him again as he gently reassured him, “I mean it, all of it,”

It was probably just a trick of the light, but the earthbender could’ve sworn he saw the other blush ever so slightly. This realization, like many others, he kept to himself, burying it in some other part of his mind, choosing not to think about it too hard.

“I should probably show you where you’ll be staying,” Jet spoke up, stepping around and leading them both to a bridge, every step making it sway ever so slightly, making Haru grab onto the thin rope railing tightly, focusing straight ahead as they crossed. “I’ll have the other Freedom Fighters bring you some supplies once you’re settled,”

“Freedom Fighters?” He was tempted to smile at that, the name sounding so over the top and a little ridiculous, but kept it to himself, not wanting the other to take it the wrong way.

“Yeah- they’re off raiding some other camps right now. I’ll properly introduce them all to you at dinner, if you want to join us,”

“I’d love to,” Haru then paused, suddenly feeling bad for being unable to contribute in some way, feeling as though he owed the other _something_ for letting him stay in the first place. “Hey, Jet- let me know if you need any help with… dinner, or anything else,”

“You don’t have to do anything- you can help us and yourself by resting.” Jet’s tone became serious again, speaking with the surety of a leader. “The quicker you heal, the quicker you can help.” 

“Right, you’re right,” 

The two eventually came to a stop, standing in front of a small hut, which clung to the side of the tree across from them. It hung a ways above, connected to the platform they stood on by a couple small bridges, with a single zipline leading down to a large, flat platform below.

“We fixed this up a few days ago, so it’s still pretty new,” Clapping him solidly on the shoulder, Jet turned to leave before Haru stopped him, reaching out to grab his loose sleeve to get his attention. 

“Wait I almost forgot, but… where am I meeting you again? You and the… Freedom Fighters,”

“See that big platform down there? That’s where,”

“... That big platform at the end of the line?”

Jet was definitely grinning a lot more than before. “Yep. Actually, now that I think about it- yours might be the fastest way down,” He then left, his footsteps being the only sound that followed after that statement.

Haru watched him go before making his way up to the hut, about to head in before doing a double take, glancing at the rope connected to a branch, then down at the platform it was tied to below.

“... He _must_ be joking.“

—-

True to Jet’s word, the Freedom Fighters had dropped off some supplies, or, rather, a short and angry looking girl had tossed a bag of supplies through his open window, which would’ve hit him square in the face if he hadn’t moved out of the way in time. The bag had landed on his hay-covered bed with a soft thud, a few supplies spilling out, and he’d awkwardly called out his thanks after she was long gone. 

Looking back on it, they’d been pretty generous.

Medical supplies, an assortment of fruits, a waterskin, and various other necessities were now carefully tucked away in his own bag, along with the cloth they all came in, Haru deciding that the wrap could be used for other things. 

Digging through the bag on his lap now, looking for paper, he’d discovered that, at the very bottom of it, still wrapped in the same cloth, he’d somehow managed to miss a particularly surprising gift:

A knife. For self-protection, he supposed.

He’d stared at it for a long time, unsure what to make of it. It wasn’t particularly ornate, and the characters inscribed along the side of the blade told him it was Earth Kingdom. It fit in his hand perfectly- a little too perfectly. Though a part of him was tempted, he didn’t dare try to use it, not even for practice; he simply stared at it, keeping it partially unsheathed, focused on his reflection in its surface.

A familiar feeling of dread crept up the back of his neck, paralyzing him as he sat on the edge of bed, breath hitching.

“Hey,”

Haru jerked upright, dropping the knife with a wince, forgetting that sudden movements right now were not the best idea. What was with everyone and everything startling him constantly? Gaze darting about, it finally settled on Jet, who stood in the doorway, staying where he was- yet again, at a distance. 

“Huh? Oh, hey, Jet,” Reaching down to collect the knife, he sheathed it properly, tossing it back into his bag, “I didn’t see you there,”

“I noticed,” The nonbender stood with his arms crossed, giving him a look he couldn’t decipher. “Mind if I come in,”

“Go ahead,”

Entering, Jet took the opportunity to lean against the nearest wall as Haru began to dig in his bag again, remembering what he was originally looking for.

“Just wanted to make sure that you had the right stuff- I didn’t really know what you needed, so I just guessed,” Jet admitted, watching him dig with apparent disinterest, fiddling with the stick that hung from his mouth, twirling the end between his fingers. “Hope it’s enough,”

“It’s more than enough, really,” Haru pulled out a bundle of papers, thumbing through the pages quickly, making sure they were in order and still intact. “You really didn’t have to give me all of this,”

“It’s just basic supplies, nothing fancy,”

“Even so… Guess I’m just not used to such hospitality,” Recalling where he’d been forced to stay before, Haru made a face at the memory as he tucked the rearranged papers away. “Before this, an old lady had me sleep in this greasy fishing hut. It was… not great. Only thing I got there was a horrible smell that lasted for days,”

“That’s what it was? I just thought your clothes just smelled like that,”

“What- no, not normally, seriously, it _was_ because of the hut,”

“Yeah, _sure_.”

Haru glared at the other boy, who was smirking once again, a glint in his eyes as he dumbly stuck his tongue out in response. Caught off guard, Haru blinked before huffing, dramatically rolling his eyes for added effect as he looked away. Though it’d been started by annoyance, both boys found themselves laughing, soft and quiet, a comfortable sense of camaraderie falling between them, the heavy distrust from before feeling a little lighter, even if they still barely knew each other.

It was then that Haru made his stupid mistake.

“Really, though… I never thought that someone from the Fire Nation could be so kind and generous,”

He hadn’t noticed then- the way Jet immediately stiffened, freezing in place as though he’d just been shocked. The way he’d stopped twirling the stick, eyes growing wide and, for just a moment, looking so _scared_ , reminded of an angry boy who’d implied something similar, his bitter words racing through and plaguing his mind.

“... Jet? Hey-”

“I’m _not_ Fire Nation.”

“Oh,” Haru swallowed nervously, face paling. “I’m sorry… I thought-”

“I’m. Not. Fire. Nation.” Jet repeated, gaze locked onto the ground, his hair falling over his eyes and partially obscuring his face, though his anger was more than obvious. “I’m nothing like those _monsters_.” His gaze flickered over to Haru, making and holding eye contact as he continued, scowl growing with every word he spat. “They killed my parents. Burned down my village. They _arrested_ you. What made you think I’m _them_?”

The intensity of Jet’s gaze practically bore through him as the earthbender struggled to answer, guilt welling up so thickly it nearly caused him to choke, finding himself frozen like a child being scolded. “... Your tunic. And your armor.” Forcing out the truth, Haru broke their shared gaze, unable to look the other in the eye for much longer, those burning, accusatory eyes feeling all too familiar. “I didn’t know. I’m so sorry, Jet,”

Jet stood perfectly still, hands balled into fists at his sides, eyes focused on the boy who sat across from him, who’d clasped his hands tightly together and kept his eyes downcast, fighting to keep his facial expressions under wraps as mantras of self-deprecation danced through his mind, becoming louder and louder as the silence stretched on.

Waiting with bated breath as he was scrutinized, Haru could only assume that the worst plagued the other’s mind as well.

“... Just my clothes then, huh,”

“Yeah. That’s it. Nothing else. It was… really silly of me to assume.”

One second passed, and then another.

Then, Jet sighed, shaking his head, scowl dropped in favor of an obviously awkward half-smile as he forced out a laugh. “No, it wasn’t… it’s okay. I probably should’ve guessed.” Tugging at the edge of his tunic, he looked down at it, as though he’d just learned what he was wearing. “It’s definitely Fire Nation clothes, but I’m not Fire Nation. I’m Earth Kingdom, just like everyone else here.”

The sudden mood shift did very little to soothe Haru’s anxieties.

Noting the tension between them, Jet didn’t linger for long, opting to head towards the door instead while the other boy was still trying to process what had just occurred.

“I’m going to help the others with dinner,” He’d called over his shoulder, not sparing him so much as a glance. “You’re still free to join us… if you want,”

Gaze still locked on the ground, it wasn’t until he’d heard the sound of the zipline buzz that Haru dared to look up, confirming that he was gone.

He would’ve fallen face-first onto the hay bed and started yelling into his arms were it not for the dull ache in his chest.

Forcing himself to lie down, he instead stared at the ceiling, counting the cracks as he silently debated whether or not it’d be worth it to go down there and inevitably face Jet again. The thought alone was excruciating enough, and he knew that he’d be on edge the entire time, which would make him even more prone to blurting something completely and utterly idiotic.

Gaze trailing down, Haru was suddenly reminded of the bag that lay at his side, which had somehow fallen over, a handful of lychees and nuts spilling out from the now upturned bag.

Well, at least they’d been generous enough to provide him with some food...

—-

The gentle scraping sounds of rustling leaves outside his hut, while normally peaceful, were _really_ starting to get on Haru’s nerves.

Perhaps it was the fact that the only thing he’d eaten for dinner was a handful of nuts and random fruits that made him so restless. 

Or, perhaps, it was the fact that he was still reeling from the events from before, mind still fending off the waves of guilt that coursed through him. 

Or, perhaps, it was the fact that his chest still stung like a motherfucker.

This unholy combination quickly became the unbearable trifecta of unfortunate events that were keeping him from getting a good night’s sleep. Not like he was getting much sleep in the first place- apparently, being so high up meant that every single little breeze caused the whole structure to sway ever so slightly. 

If being treesick was a thing, then he was seriously beginning to consider himself chronically ill.

As the scraping sounds persisted, he groaned to himself, grabbing the scratchy straw-filled pillow he’d been laying on and dropping it right on his face, scrunching his eyes shut as he did so, wondering if the semi-lack of air would forcefully knock him out before the unavoidable hunger pangs hit him. It was so late, and all he wanted to do was sleep his pain away. 

A quiet _crunch_ right outside his window made Haru stiffen almost immediately.

Ever since his initial capture, he’d learned to be on high alert for these sorts of things, managing to catch the faint shuffling and thumps of something- no, _someone_ \- landing on the wooden platform that encircled his hut, footsteps indicating that they were heading towards the door, possibly intent on coming in. 

Two of them. There were two of them, and only one of him. How he desperately wished that his bag was closer to him…

One of them was approaching, the other stopping, presumably, at the doorway. They were getting closer, too close, probably looming over him, a weapon raised to attack-

In one swift motion, the pillow was yanked away, and Haru refused to open his eyes, faking being asleep. If they were here to take him, he’d wait until they were on one of the flimsier bridges and start thrashing, taking them all down with him. It was a rather windy night, anyways- there was a slim possibility that this could work.

“This _is_ him, right?” A raspy voice asked, a brief pause following, as though they were waiting for some kind of answer.

Something in the back of his mind started screaming that, no, that would not work, and he was 100% doomed.

“So. You called our leader Fire Nation, huh? Betcha thought that was _really_ funny, right?”

_… Our leader?_

“Jet didn’t take too kindly to that, you know. Didn’t tell us, but we both saw him hacking away at a tree like there was no tomorrow, muttering about the Fire Nation over and over.”

“We’d also heard there was a newbie- only, he didn’t introduce you, and he always introduces us to _everyone_ , so… that means you just didn’t turn up.”

“He’s never acted like this before. Only after _they_ showed up. They might’ve had benders on their side, but they’re real lucky that they managed to get out before we could deal with them, because now, he hasn’t been the same since.”

Haru swore that it was just his breath happening to catch in his throat. It was _not_ because of something sharp being held against it.

“Jet’s our leader. We’ll do anything for him- he’s the only family some of us have. And you better watch yourself around him next time, pretty boy, and pray that you don’t slip again around us. Otherwise, you might not be so lucky.”

And suddenly, he could breathe again.

When he heard them both finally retreat, he willed himself to stay still, despite the immense temptation to crack open an eye and take a peek at the intruders, who, luckily, had left him alone after saying their piece.

They _were_ taking a suspiciously long time to leave, though.

Despite this, Haru kept his breathing steady, attempting to somehow force himself to sleep despite the way his heart was racing. 

Bits and pieces of hushed conversation managed to make themselves known as they were carried in through the open window on the night breeze, the two circling the hut again to head back from whence they came. 

“Oh, don’t worry- he definitely heard me.”

“...”

“How’d I know he was awake? Simple,”

If there was any way to hear a smug smile in a voice, Haru definitely heard it then.

“Newbies never sleep well on the first night.”

And, true to their word, Haru did not.

But not for the reasons they probably expected. 

Lying flat on his back, the earthbender sank into the silence, allowing the dull sounds of the night to lull him to sleep. Only one thought pervaded his mind, the words burning as he drifted in and out of consciousness.

_Just what had the Fire Nation done to these people?_

Before morning finally came, he promised that he’d find out for himself. 

Jet had been insistent on helping him, giving him supplies and a place to stay with no hidden intentions.

Trying to help and understand _them_ was the least he could do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here it is! i’m knocking these out slowly, but i definitely know what i want to do with this fic now- the whole thing is planned out, it’s just a matter of getting it out there


	4. Chapter 3: On Finding Kindred Spirits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “... You got threatened in the middle of the night and you _still_ wanted to help them?”
> 
> “I know it sounds ridiculous, but I felt like I should at least try to give them a chance… they gave me one when I needed it, it’s only fair. Besides, they’re all just kids like us,”
> 
> “... Has anyone said that you’re really nice? Maybe even _too_ nice?”
> 
> “I… don’t know what you’re trying to say about me, but... I’m just… going to... keep going.”

Haru had _intended_ to wake up early.

Given what had occurred the previous night, he figured it would be more than enough to wake him up- the sharp sensation of steel pressed against his neck paired with a thinly veiled threat of bodily harm was a lot scarier than he remembered it being at the time, having been unwittingly reminded of it in dream form a few times before, which sometimes shocked him awake, even long after it had happened.

Unfortunately, that nightmare hadn’t manifested. Yet.

What happened instead was that, when he woke up, he found himself lying flat on his back, pillow forgotten and on the floor, with one arm hanging off the side of the bed… in the middle of the day.

Sunlight practically poured through the small window of the hut, the light filtering through countless leaves and traveling past the thin rags that hung from the frame just to shine directly onto his face. The patch of light irritated Haru as he slowly came to, the sheer brightness making his face scrunch up, and he groaned as he brought a hand up and over his eyes, all in a vain attempt to not go completely blind first thing in the supposed morning. Sitting up slowly, the patch of light slid off his face and onto the bed, much to his relief, and he blinked a few times, mind still blurry and unfocused as he briefly gazed around in order to jog his memories.

Uneven wooden walls and tree bark were the first two things to register in his blurry consciousness. _Right. I’m in a treehouse. Out in the middle of nowhere… not at home,_ his thoughts quietly reminded him as he stood, quickly combing his fingers through his tangled mess of hair in a weak attempt to make himself look presentable. Grabbing his bandana from his bag on the floor, he moved to the window as he tied it back on, before reaching for the thin rags that fluttered in the soft breeze, “shutting” the window, trying to block out the brightness of the outside world before it blinded him further. 

Slowly regaining his bearings, Haru found himself taking a pause in the middle of his routine, sparing a glance over his shoulder at his hay-lined bed. If this were any other situation, he would’ve dropped right back onto that bed and slept the rest of the day away, taking full advantage of the fact that there was no one around here that would tell him to do otherwise. There was no farm to take care of, no shop to run, no meter-long chore list to complete. 

Plus, he was still hurt, even if most of the pain had faded away to a dull ache- the added bonus of having an actual excuse to do that was extremely tempting, he remembered musing to himself then. 

So... why _wasn’t_ he doing that?

 _Because you still have to talk to Jet before you leave,_ his conscience berated him, reminding him of what he’d learned last night, the re-realization piercing through the fog of his mind, the brief flicker of recognition causing most of it to clear.

_You still don't know anything about anyone- including him. You skipped your chance to actually get some answers when you skipped dinner. All because you were too lily-livered to face him again._

“Ah. Right.” As if something outside of him demanded an answer, Haru shook his head, attempting to clear out the last few remnants of grogginess as he moved towards the hut’s makeshift door. “Thank you for being so kind.”

_You’re talking to no one again, you know,_

“I know,” He replied, yawning halfway through his answer, not caring enough to refute himself properly. “But it’s better than nothing, right?”

Blissfully unaware of the fact that the rest of the world had woken up long before he had, he moved the makeshift fabric door out of the way, immediately wincing as he was once again reminded that, yes, it was still extremely bright out. _At least it made for a pretty sight,_ he thought, finding himself once again captivated by the scene.

The sun hung high in the sky, light cascading down as it shone through the forest leaves, creating soft patches of yellow and red as it bathed the entire treehouse base in its gentle, warm glow. As alive as ever, the base itself practically teemed with energy, with children zipping back and forth between wooden platforms to meet with others, supplies and other materials in hand as they traveled. Some even carried nothing, simply flying between the trees for fun, often engaged in a race against the poor birds they all happened to be sharing a home with, much to the animals’ collective distress. Other kids simply milled about, engaged in swapping stories or other idle conversation with any others they happened to come across. 

There was always someone doing something, as there was always something to be done. This was the unspoken sentiment that sat in the minds of all who lived out in the forest- a potentially exhausting cycle, but a necessary one that kept them all together, kept them on their toes.

And it was one Haru wanted to contribute to. Though Jet had reassured him otherwise, his feelings still hadn’t changed- he still felt as though he owed them all something for even letting him be here in the first place.

As for what exactly he could even do to repay them... truthfully, he had no idea.

Actually, trying to understand them was one idea he had, but he still had to learn more about the people here first. And properly introduce himself- 

A fair bit of then commotion rose from one of the lower platforms, snagging his attention, and his gaze shifted over to the dinner platform, where a small group of kids were gathered and appeared to be squabbling over something. He couldn’t understand much of what they were saying, but he quickly understood that, whatever it was, it was apparently important enough to warrant some of them literally pulling a _knife_ out. Several knives, actually- as well as a few other equally sharp, pointy, threatening objects that should decidedly not be in the hands of children.

Haru watched their dispute grow in intensity from afar, and his gaze quickly flickered to the zipline attached to the side of his hut.

_“Actually, now that I think about it- yours might be the fastest way down,”_

Jet’s words echoed in the back of his mind, and he cursed them repeatedly as he grabbed hold of the handlebar.

—-

So… zipping down and throwing himself in the middle of a conflict just so happened to be an _extremely_ quick way to draw attention to himself. 

It was also a very quick way to establish himself as a complete stranger, not used to any of the customs of the base, as he’d heavily misinterpreted the situation- there was no actual danger. 

He’d then realized that all he’d done was rudely interrupt a bunch of kids; they were all just _really_ caught up in an imaginary game of war.

After getting over the initial shock of some random teen flying in and launching into a speech about how they all shouldn’t be trying to stab each other in a misguided attempt to diffuse the situation, they’d found it absolutely hilarious. 

Somehow, his mistake and apologies were seen as endearing to these children, and they’d paused their game just to figure out who this guy was, surrounding him as they practically interrogated him. As soon as introductions were out of the way, they’d whispered amongst themselves for a bit before immediately demanding that he join their little game. 

They’d wanted some kind of leader, someone to spearhead their charge, and Jet wasn’t around to fill in the role. 

Persuaded by the many pairs of deer-puppy eyes that followed, he eventually chose to accept it in his stead, deciding that going with this would be much more productive than continuing to verbally flounder. 

Haru had ended up playing his role a little _too_ well, getting swept up in the dramatics of it all, as the kids who were involved were now insistent on being his new best friend. 

All he could continue to do was his best, deciding to follow along with whatever it was these kids wanted, not seeing much harm in letting them lead, as long as it didn’t involve any stabbing of some kind. A little girl was currently pulling him by the sleeve as she led them towards a seemingly random platform, pointing at a couple of huts and explaining who lived where and what they did as they passed, and the rest of her friends trailed behind them excitedly, supplementing where they could when she forgot. They followed behind in a funny little manner that reminded the earthbender of turtleducklings, waddling behind their mother and quacking up a storm. 

It was both endearing and overwhelming all at the same time, and he was briefly reminded of Jet, finding himself wondering if this is how it was for him, too.

As they crossed a lower bridge, Haru tore his attention away from the mixed conversation just in time to notice two people standing on the approaching platform, right at the end of the bridge they happened to be on, one appearing to have a rice hat of some kind and the other having a wild mop of shaggy brown hair, barely tamed by the black headband they wore. They appeared to be talking to each other, and he stopped midway to do a double-take, causing some of the kids to walk into him, earning him a couple protests. Despite this, he didn’t move, caught up in trying to figure out who they were, the one with messy hair striking him as oddly familiar for some reason.

Whoever it was, the girl holding onto his sleeve recognized them almost immediately, pointing and squealing “Bee!” as she practically raced across the bridge with Haru still in tow, causing him to nearly trip over several planks as he was unceremoniously yanked across them.

Grabbing onto the nearest rope railing to steady himself the moment his hand was free, the teen watched a few paces away as all the kids who’d been tailing behind raced up to the duo as well, and the messy haired one of the two looked surprised by the sudden attention, before a grin spread across their face as they bent down to ruffle the little girl’s hair, laughing as she repeated the action back, ruffling their hair in kind. The person standing beside them appeared to be just as amused, a small smile settling on their face as they looked on. 

“Hey, Cavehopper,” They greeted her with a raspy tone that he couldn’t quite place, “What’re you and the gang up to?”

“We’re showing this new guy ‘round! He’s super nice, ‘n so’s his hair!”

Glancing up at Haru, their attitude appeared to shift, narrowing their eyes at him ever so slightly, and he stiffened under the new scrutiny, but still managed a tiny wave and awkward smile in their direction, trying to be polite. Their gaze lingered on him for a few moments, unreadable in a way that put him on edge, before they broke it to address the girl again, who simply grinned up at them, oblivious to the tension.

“You’re helping _him?_ That’s… sweet of you,” 

“Yeah! ‘Cause he’s new! ‘N that’s what we do here, right? That’s what’cha taught me,”

“... Yep, that’s exactly what we do,”

Their expression seemed to change for a brief moment then, but, for whatever reason it was changing for, it didn’t stick around long enough for him to begin to question it. To him, he was just witnessing a completely normal interaction between two kids on the base.

“Say, how about you let Longshot and I take over? We can show him around, and you can help out everyone else,” Changing the subject, they gestured to the person standing beside them, who simply responded with a curt nod. “It’ll help us start the celebration faster,”

Though initially opposed to this offer, the group’s complaints instantly dissolved the moment they heard the word “celebration”, and a large handful of them immediately took off, scattering, suddenly stating that they had many things to do that they definitely didn’t have before as they ran past. Cavehopper looked over her shoulder, alarmed by the sudden disappearance of her group, and quickly ran after them, yelling a “Sure, thanks, Bee! Bye, stranger-” over her shoulder before calling after her friends as she quickly jumped onto the nearest zipline.

Once the commotion settled down and there was no more group of kids to wade through, Haru finally approached the two, the comicality of what just happened causing him to laugh a little, though the others didn’t appear as amused as he was. Nevertheless, he nodded, about to offer a hand out as he began to introduce himself.

“Thanks for offering to show me around; I wasn’t even sure where they were taking me, if I’m being honest. I’m-“

“We know who you are, newbie,” Cutting him off, the shorter of the two crossed their arms, glaring up at him with an intensity that made the earthbender take a step back, startled by the brash tone. The boy standing beside them then lightly nudged them, getting their attention and giving them a pointed look, to which they responded by sighing, begrudgingly sticking out a gloved hand. 

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to cut you off like that. I’m Smellerbee- this is Longshot.”

“... Nice to meet you again, I think,” Warily, he shook their hand, noting the annoyed look in their eyes as he did so. He then offered out the same hand to Longshot, who simply shook his head politely, declining. Respecting that and opting for a curt nod instead, Haru continued, hoping that continuing the conversation would alleviate some of the tension as they began to walk again, crossing over to a different bridge. “I feel like we’ve met before,”

“I guess you could say that.” Smellerbee avoided his gaze, instead glancing back up at the boy standing beside her, their constant side-glances conveying a lot more to each other than he could even begin to understand. Despite not understanding this, something else clicked in his brain, and he lit up upon making the connection.

“Wait- we _have_ met before,” He began, failing to notice Smellerbee beginning to tug at her gloves, “you’re the one who gave me supplies, right? Threw them through my window; almost hit me, actually, it was pretty funny,”

A beat of silence fell between the three at that, and, as quickly as it fell, it passed.

“... Yeah. That was me.” Smellerbee finally confirmed. “Sorry about that.“

“No, don’t worry, it’s okay; it didn’t actually hit me, thank the spirits,” Sighing in relief, Haru smiled at the messy-haired girl, a swell of gratitude rising up in him. “Actually, I’ve been meaning to say thank you. For all of the supplies, I mean. You gave me a lot, and I appreciate you all being so generous,” 

“Don’t thank us- thank Jet,” Gesturing upwards, Smellerbee rolled her eyes, but the smirk that tugged at her lips along with her words betrayed the good-natured thought behind it. “He’s the one doting on the newbies, no matter how many we take in. Means well for all of us, always has,” Longshot nodded in agreement, but kept his gaze focused ahead, a serious expression donning his features that eventually mirrored onto Smellerbee’s own, as she lapsed into an odd silence after finishing her piece. 

Walking beside the two, Haru glanced over at both kids, noting the pauses and sudden shift in respective attitudes. Some part of him worried that the unspoken tension was his fault again, remembering how he’d misspoke and upset Jet greatly, but the more logical part of him deduced that it was probably something else, something that didn’t concern him at all. He wanted to sit down and talk it out with them even so, but the fact that he was still a stranger most likely meant they wouldn’t be so privy to an impromptu feelings session.

With this in mind, he decided to work on being less of a stranger, for both his sake and everyone else’s.

“So… are you one of the Freedom Fighters? I don’t think I got to meet all of you properly yet,” Filling in the silence, this question appeared to grab both Smellerbee and Longshot’s attention, and Smellerbee stopped looking pensive for a moment and appeared to relax, apparently just as thankful for the subject change as he was.

“Yeah, both of us are,” Smellerbee clarified with a glint in her eye, “Longshot here’s an amazing archer, and I’m pretty good with a knife. We fight against the Fire Nation, taking down any ash makers that get too close. We’ve been a nasty thorn in their side for a long time,”

“That’s incredible,” Haru admitted, genuinely impressed, and Smellerbee puffed her chest out proudly with a grin as she continued, speaking for both herself and Longshot, who continued to stay silent, but appeared just as enthralled as she was, albeit in his own way.

“We mostly keep to the forest, but we protect the people we share it with. They need people like us to protect them, even if we drove most of the troops out already,”

Glancing down at the girl walking beside him, who nimbly twirled a dagger in her left hand as they walked, the earthbender raised a brow in response, curiosity piqued. “You… got them out?”

“Yeah, we did- everything we’ve been working up to paid off,” As they approached a large wooden platform that was littered with barrels and crates of various sizes, partially shaded by a similar platform that lay above, Smellerbee decided to stop walking, instead hopping on top of one of the supply crates, Longshot doing something similar, leaning against a large barrel as he listened on, and Haru decided to follow suit, propping himself up against a crate. 

“See, there was this town nearby that got taken over by the Fire Nation a few years back. Since then, troops kept coming into the valley, setting traps and hurting those who live here.” Speaking with a tone that dripped with an odd mix of vitriolic pride, Smellerbee’s gaze grew intense as she began to retell their story, gripping the handle of her dagger tightly. “Even before that, they just wouldn’t leave- the scum kept invading our forest, no matter how many times we tore them down. Then, they seized Gaipan, and it just got worse from there. Jet said we had to do something, and came up with this plan that we worked on together for-”

Longshot suddenly grabbed Smellerbee’s attention, interrupting with a quick motion as he stood, tilting his head to the side, a worried expression crossing his features before he shook his head, gazing off to the side almost ruefully. Smellerbee froze, eyes going wide in realization, bravado fleeing her before she turned to Haru, who was currently confused by this exchange, watching as she struggled with her words for a few moments.

“He doesn’t like us talking about it, though. Not anymore,” She admitted quietly, sheathing her knife as she climbed off of the crate. “We don’t really know why,” 

“Oh… Did something happen?”

Smellerbee didn’t dignify Haru with a response, simply going around the boxes to join Longshot by his side once more, barely sparing him a glance as she walked past. Confused, the teen stood and followed, mind racing with questions that desperately needed answers. 

“Hey, wait- do either of you know where he is? Maybe I can try to talk to him,”

At this, they both turned to face him, just to scoff at his offer, as Smellerbee did so, crossing her arms and giving Haru a disbelieving look that Longshot bore as well.

“Look, newbie- we’ve known Jet for years. If he won’t talk to either of us, what makes you think he’ll talk to you?”

Haru opened his mouth to retort, but closed it upon realizing that she had a valid point. He barely knew these people, and yet, here he was, so stubbornly determined to help them all. The question made him pause, and Smellerbee shook her head when he failed to respond, taking his silence as their cue to leave. 

Heading over to a nearby ladder attached to the side of the tree, the two began to head upwards, Longshot climbing up before Smellerbee, who hesitated as she grabbed onto the rung. “If you _really_ want to try,” she suggested, nodding down towards the ground, “He might be with the rest of the Freedom Fighters, somewhere down there. They went north- that’s where the bellshrooms are. They’re out foraging,”

“Thank you, Smellerbee,”

Turning to find the nearest drop-line, stepping around boxes to figure out how to even get down, deciding to make his way towards a rope that lay coiled near the end of the platform, the earthbender stopped upon hearing Smellerbee speak, calling out as she paused halfway up the ladder.

“Hey, newbie- be careful, got it? Watch yourself… for his sake.”

With this, she climbed up, leaving Haru to mull over her words, drop-line now in hand, standing in silence as he stared up at the platform above for a while, and he found his gaze lingering where the two Freedom Fighters had previously been standing.

It took a moment for him to remember that he was about to head down.

—-

The dry leaves crunched loudly under Haru’s feet as he made his way through the forest, the thick layer carpeting the forest floor betraying his every move despite his best attempts. Simply kicking the leaves out of the way proved to be a futile effort, as they were always replaced by more, twirling down from above every now and then, and earthbending a clear path quickly got tedious after the nth time. Sighing, he opened his palm, making a small motion to coax a stray rock upwards, fidgeting with it as he continued heading north, using the low-hanging sun as a loose point of reference.

Normally, he’d stop and take in the atmosphere, as spots of sunlight dappled through the leaves and onto the cluttered floor, painting it in a soft sea of warm hues, perfectly coupled with the warm breeze that wound between the trunks of surrounding trees, carrying with it the last few verses of birdsong as their vocalists began to retreat in early preparation for nightfall. 

This time, however, he was too preoccupied with thinking about his current dilemma to even consider the beauty surrounding him. 

Rubbing a divot into the stone with his thumb, the earthbender fretted to himself, muttering under his breath, mind racing with thousands of possibilities, of potential conversations and polite approaches, of awkward interventions and worst possible outcomes. The pertinent warning from Smellerbee told him he had to be much more cautious when it came to approaching Jet, and the seemingly high possibility of saying something wrong or even something worse quickly put him on edge. 

“And then I’ll ask him about what the Fire Nation- no no, you can’t just _ask_ someone what the Fire Nation did to them, that’s- spirits, that’s even worse-“

Caught up in his worries, Haru failed to pay attention to where he was going, not noticing that the path he was following led to a clearing, the leaves swept away to create a dusty path towards a circle of stubby trees, where multiple bellshrooms sprang up, hugging close to their roots, the bright red fruit dangling in rows from scraggly black stalks.

The wooden wagon filled with assorted fruits and nuts that also happened to be sitting nearby _somehow_ didn’t tip him off to the presence of another person in the area. Nor did the fact that someone was, very clearly, picking said bellshrooms he’d _just_ noticed a few moments ago. 

He continued to remain oblivious even as the other person perked up and turned around, their look of expectant delight quickly turning to one of annoyed confusion.

“The Duke! Pipsqueak! You guys finally came back to- Oh.” Blinking, they soon found themselves face to face with a very confused earthbender, who stopped a few paces away, appearing just as confused as they were, setting the basket they were holding down. “You’re definitely not The Duke. Or Pipsqueak.” 

“... No, I’m not. Who are you?” Still clutching the stone tightly, thumbing across it, unconsciously thinning out one of its flatter sides to form a somewhat sharp edge. Haru took a cautious step back, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. The other ignored him entirely, much to his chagrin, narrowing their eyes in kind as they took a fighting stance.

“You better tell me who you are, or I’ll be forced to use… this.” Reaching up, they pulled a long, thin hairpin out of their hair, appearing to use it as a makeshift weapon as they waved it threateningly in Haru’s general direction.

“... Are you… threatening me… with a _hairpiece...?_ ”

“It’s sharp. Made of metal, too,” They insisted, making a few stabbing motions for added effect. “I bet I could take your eye out with it,”

“... Right.” Haru kept his distance, glancing briefly at the sharpened rock in his hand before glancing over at the other, who appeared just as ready to fight as he was, albeit with much more enthusiasm. He continued to stare for a few moments, before sighing, tossing the rock off to the side as he approached, putting his hands up to show that they were empty. “Listen, I’m looking for the rest of-“

Without warning, they suddenly swung, slicing through the air and aiming directly for his face, making Haru reel back, sweeping an arm upwards to put a wall of earth between him and his attacker, which he was half tempted to push outwards to bowl them over, but he held back, deciding to run the risk of being wrong in favor of actually getting answers. 

“I’m not an enemy! I’m from the hideout. I’m just looking for Jet,” Peering over the top of the short wall of earth, he saw them freeze, slowly going from a fighting stance to standing properly, eyes appearing to widen in realization. “Smellerbee said he was out here, with the rest of the Freedom Fighters, which… you’re one of them, right? I hope,”

The two simply stared at each other for a tense moment, refusing to move from where they stood, before the stranger laughed, shaking their head as they stuck the pin back into their hair.

“You’re looking for Jet? Why didn’t you just say so?”

Lowering the earth, Haru pulled a face, simply raising a brow. “I was about to. You attacked me.”

“Ah, sorry ‘bout that. Usually when strangers pass by, they’re Fire Nation, so we tend to be on our toes down here,” They approached now, smiling sheepishly as they waved. “I’m Sneers- one of the Freedom Fighters. You are…?”

“Haru,” He introduced himself quickly, eyeing the sun as it ever so slowly continued its descent. “I haven’t been around long. So… was Jet with you?”

“No, I think he might’ve left with the others. Who all left me hours ago, leaving me stuck with all the work. Again. They say it builds character, but it’s starting to feel like an excuse to get someone _else_ to do their dirty work.” Sneers pinched his brows as he grimaced, barely making any effort to mask his annoyance. Then, as if struck with an idea, he slyly glanced over at the teen, hope shining his eyes. 

“Hey, since you’re from the base… mind helping me out? I just have to pick the rest of these things and bring them back. The wagon’s kind of heavy, but I bet we could work something out,”

Haru didn’t respond, electing to silently cross his arms as karma for ignoring him before, which went unnoticed yet again as Sneers turned to head back to where they were before, picking up a basket as he continued with his back to the teen. 

“ _Then_ I can take you to Jet- he’ll definitely be back by then,”

“... Sure,” The earthbender sighed, following reluctantly, fully aware of his lack of other options. “I’ll help.”

“Thanks! Here, take a basket,” Practically shoving a half-full basket into his arms, Sneers knelt down, leaning forward as he pushed a row of unripe fruit aside with the back of his hand, showing Haru how to do the same as he joined in. “Try to not get the greenish ones- they’re poisonous. We, uh, learned this the hard way.”

“I’ll try my best not to,” Haru glanced into his basket, taking out a couple of unripe bellshrooms he happened to spot, tossing them off to the side before going back to picking. As he continued, he noticed the boy beside him offhandedly dropping a few green fruits into a basket, and he reached over to stop him, grabbing his caped shoulder. 

“Thought you told me these were poisonous,” 

Sneer’s eyes widened, and he chuckled, embarrassed as he stopped himself from throwing yet another mixed handful into the basket. “Good catch,” He admitted, now taking the time to actually scrutinize the next bunch of fruits he picked. “Guess I’m rushing more than I thought… Sorry, I’m just really excited for tonight,”

“That’s okay,” Moving a full basket aside and starting on another, Haru looked over at the other, tilting his head curiously. “Is this about the... celebration?”

“Of course it is! What else would it be about?” Sneers, well, sneered, before a realization appeared to strike him, and he glanced off to the side, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “Oh. Right. You’re new. You… probably have no clue what’s going on,”

The earthbender simply responded with a deadpan look that he prayed would suffice. Luckily, it did.

“...Already taking after Longshot much? Alright, don’t worry, I’ll fill you in along the way,” Joking lightly, Sneers stood, reaching over to grab Haru’s basket along with his own, carrying both over to the wagon, gesturing for the other to follow with a jerk of his head. Setting the baskets down, he grabbed hold of one of the wagon’s handles, with Haru grabbing the one adjacent, and together, they began pulling the wagon down the path from whence they came. 

“So you’ve probably heard about us freeing Gaipan, right? That’s what we’re celebrating. Well, we’ve been _kind of_ celebrating for a little while, but we haven’t done anything official until tonight. Jet was always the hammy type, so of course it was his idea to have a big dinner thing, and we’ve been preparing for it for a while now. You’re pretty lucky that you came when you did; otherwise, you probably would’ve had to work with the rest of us,”

“I didn’t know you freed Gaipan- I just thought you drove troops out of your forest,”

“Well, see, as it turns out, the troops were stationed there- that’s why those ash makers kept coming in and out, that was the problem. If we didn’t deal with Gaipan, they would've just kept coming. At least, that’s what Jet told us. I remember asking him if what we were doing would draw attention, since it was so risky, but he just said no, he always had a backup plan for everything, and this time was no different.”

“Did he use it?”

“Well, he never told us what it was, so I’m guessing… probably not. But, hey, that’s Jet for you- always prepared for the worst case scenario, even when there’s no chance of one. The whole thing went off without a hitch, even with a few last-minute changes,”

“Impressive… He must be a really great leader,”

“He really is- I haven’t known him as long as the others have, but I know he’s a great guy. Always helping out others, always swinging those swords around. Plus, he’s easy to talk to,”

“... He is?”

“Most of the time, yeah. You can talk to that guy about pretty much anything; trust me, I have,”

“Maybe _you_ can,”

Sneers suddenly stopped the wagon in the middle of the path to stare over at Haru incredulously. “What do you mean?”

“The last time I talked to him, I… said that I thought he was Fire Nation.” Stopping in kind, Haru chose to stare down at the ground, feeling a pang of guilt course through him. “I don’t anymore, of course, but, he’s probably still upset. Even if it was a mistake... I don’t blame him. I’d be mad, too.”

The other fell silent, lost in his own contemplation as he stroked his chin for a moment, before finally responding.

“I get it, but, hey, get this, too- you really didn’t know. You didn’t say it to push his buttons or anything, right?”

“No, of course not, I told him,”

“So then… he’ll understand that. He’s our leader- listening is kind of his thing,” Reaching over to put a hand on his shoulder, Sneers offered up a smile. “I don’t know what you want to talk to him about, but if it’s about that, maybe I could put in a good word for you? If that would help,”

Haru froze on reflex, but forced himself to settle, realizing that the other was just trying to be kind. Though he refused to tear his gaze away from the floor, he managed a small glance over, along with a tiny smile of his own.

“I’d… appreciate that,” 

Sneers patted him on the shoulder a few times, before grabbing hold of the wagon handle again, and the two continued rolling forward as they made their way back to the base. 

As they neared a hidden platform connected by ropes, Haru reached over to stop Sneers before they began transferring supplies.

“Um, before you go… Thank you. For helping me, I mean.”

“Hey, I should be thanking you- I wouldn’t have finished in time if you hadn’t come by,” Grabbing a basket, Sneers placed it on the platform, tugging on a rope to send it up. “Good luck, alright? Don’t stress out too much,”

“I’ll try,”

With this, the Freedom Fighter hid the now empty wagon and headed up, and Haru waved after him, smiling, though it faded awkwardly as he processed the contradictory sentiment, waiting for the platform to come back down. 

As he did so, he bent a new rock up into his hand, running his thumb along its jagged edges as he slowly started wearing it down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey there! long time no see! i ended up having to spread out this chapter but i still hope you enjoy it!! boy howdy is this thing long,,,, also man i wish they gave sneers some lines so i’d have a point of reference for the way he talks outside of the comics


	5. Chapter 4: To Face Every Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Hey, Haru? All those kids… really cared about their leader, didn’t they,”
> 
> “Yeah, they really did. Jet meant the world to them,”
> 
> “He must’ve been a really good leader,”
> 
> “He is, but… It was more than that. He wasn’t just their leader, you know? He was their family, too- maybe the only family they had. I think that’s why they admired him so much. He gave them that again.”
> 
> “Haru’s right! ‘Cause… I, uh… don’t really… remember… my family. I’ve only really known Jet. And Pipsqueak. And the gang,”
> 
> “... I’m so sorry, The Duke.”
> 
> “It’s okay, it’s… um. Jet told us not to think about it too hard. ‘Cause it hurts or something. But, c’mon, Haru- tell them about the party! I think that’s where I saw you,”
> 
> “He… what?... Oh, right, yeah. Yeah, that, uh… Okay, let me... try to remember…”

To be honest, Haru didn’t remember the actual celebration all that well.

Not that he didn’t want to- it was a wonderful celebration, with tons of food spread out on the large table in the center that appeared to be a mix of their own and other dishes, colorful lanterns that were strung about in the trees that glowed defiance of nightfall, and laughter that could be heard echoing all about the canopy. There was a light sense of joy and happiness that filled the air, one unburdened by the responsibilities of survival for just one night.

His mind just happened to be preoccupied, as it often tended to be.

Despite the sense of joy that he knew he _should_ be feeling, as it permeated the entire base, his train of thought continued to perform mental backflips, furtively flipping between his conversation with Sneers, what Smellerbee and Longshot had told him about Gaipan, and his own internal, incessant worries and questions that were always burning in the back of his mind.

At least it didn’t get in the way of remembering Jet’s celebratory speech.

Having forgotten how to reach the main platform upon heading back up to the base, Haru had wandered about, trying to find his way there alone, until he crossed paths with the group of kids he’d attempted to help earlier, and, upon learning that he was lost, offered to help him find his way after making fun of him for not listening to them earlier. 

They soon managed to reach a different platform, higher up but close by, and the kids elected to climb up onto the branches and watch from afar, claiming that they’d “have the best view in the world”. Much to the earthbender’s dismay, they encouraged him to climb up as well, which he politely declined.

So here he sat, sticking close to the tree trunk as his legs dangled in the air, watching from afar as he sat on the branch, feeling much too high above the ground, and yet much too close to the platform itself, while the other kids sat farther out alongside him, waving at the other kids down below. 

Forcing himself to focus on literally anything else to stop his stomach from lurching, Haru’s gaze eventually settled on Jet, watching as he pulled away from conversing with the other Freedom Fighters to approach the head of the table, where kids began to gather around, marveling at all of the dishes laid out in front of them.

“Tonight,” he began, grabbing a cup from the table and raising it with a grin, “we’re celebrating our greatest victory against the Fire Nation.”

The kids gathered around burst into cheers, raising their cups as well, and it took them all a moment to calm back down, and another to stop some of the younger kids from taking that singular sentence as a sign to start grabbing all of the food. Once they settled down, Jet continued.

“This is a night of triumph and celebration, for not just friends, but family,” Jet glanced around, as if looking for someone, “both new and old.”

As he glanced up at the kids in the trees, Haru swore that the leader’s gaze found his own, and the two held brief eye contact before the latter broke it, glancing over at everyone else with a small, assured smile.

“The day that the Fire Nation took Gaipan will now be the one that they’ll rue forever.” Pacing with practiced confidence, the leader stared into his cup, swirling the liquid inside around for dramatic effect. “Because of our efforts, because of what we did. You should all be proud,”

Turning, Jet made a motion towards the Freedom Fighters, who stood scattered behind him, beckoning them to come forward.

“None of it would’ve happened without the Freedom Fighters, and I want to thank them for all they’ve done over the years. None of this would’ve happened without them.”

The Freedom Fighters all smiled, standing taller, as if waiting for something to happen. Jet appeared to be ready as well, staring into his cup for a moment, as though he’d forgotten what he was about to say, before looking back up at everyone.

But whatever it was they were waiting for, it never came.

“The fight is over for now, but we will never stop fighting.” As Jet spoke, Longshot and Smellerbee exchanged confused glances behind him, and Sneers looked as though he wanted to say something, but bit his tongue. Two others that he didn’t recognize also glanced at each other, with the larger of the two having to shush the other, who sat on their shoulder. 

“We’ll never know what the Fire Nation may try to do next. We’ll always need to be ready. But, the important thing is that… they’re finally gone from this valley.”

Everyone but the Freedom Fighters began cheering again, and Haru clung onto the tree trunk for dear life as the kids sitting upon it practically bounced with glee, swept away in joyous celebration.

“So, just for tonight… let’s just celebrate, alright? You’ve all earned it. Go have some fun,”

The kids seated around the table didn’t need to be told twice, some dispersing and running off, while others immediately reached for the food, grabbing as much as their hands would allow. Finally done with his short speech, Jet stayed where he was, supervising all of the kids, but was suddenly interrupted by the rest of Freedom Fighters, who pulled him off to the side, trying to engage in some kind of conversation.

Curiously, Haru watched as Jet waved a dismissive hand, saying something he couldn’t understand from where he was, the cacophony of the party drowning out his words, before simply walking away, disappearing from view. The Freedom Fighters stood around in shock, their collective confusion from before continuing to grow, as some simply returned to their posts, surveying the party and muttering to themselves while the others mingled about. Breaking his gaze on the platform for a moment, the earthbender leaned to the side, deciding to try and get the nearest kid’s attention before they hopped off of the branch.

“Hey,” Reaching over and tapping the girl closest to him on the shoulder, he gestured to where Jet had previously been standing. “Cavehopper, right? Do you know where Jet’s going? He just… left,”

Cavehopper looked over and tilted her head, not understanding, before peering down below, squinting as she looked everyone over. “Um… hm, weird. Didn’t see him leave, wonder why he did,”

 _Guess I’m the only one up here that noticed,_ Haru internally mused before sighing, offering the little girl an apologetic smile. “It’s okay, I’ll figure it out-“

“Buuuuut,” Interrupting him, Cavehopper hopped up into a squatting position, as though she were on lookout, focusing her gaze on where the teen had pointed, pointing there herself, “if you say Jet went thataway, then he might’ve been headin’ back to his hut. There’s a bridge there, right behind that trunk. Leads up n’ to the left, so if you jus’ hop back onto the bridge behind us ‘n go up, you should be able to find him,”

“Oh! Wow, that’s… actually pretty convenient, thank you,”

“Yeah! Good luck finding ‘im, new-bee!” Flashing him a gap-toothed grin, Cavehopper turned, practically launching herself off the branch and onto the aforementioned bridge, running off towards the celebration. The other kids quickly followed suit, laughing as they ran after her, footsteps echoing down the pathway as they whooped with excitement. 

Haru found himself about to do the same, getting swept up in their energy, managing to pull himself up by using the trunk beside him, turning to face the bridge with newfound confidence.

Looking down at it, however, made him realize just how much of his sudden confidence was completely unwarranted.

After a few agonizing moments of trial and error that he elected to block out of his memory for no particular reason, the earthbender finally managed to clamber down, grabbing onto the rope railing to help steady himself as he stared down the dark path.

He swore that he wouldn’t get lost this time as he headed up, determined to get some answers.

—

The strong smell of sake was the first thing to hit as Haru approached.

As he pushed the rags aside, the sharp scent overwhelmed his senses, making him stop in the doorway, not daring to take a step further. Eyes darting about, his gaze eventually settled on the small clay jug that sat on the floor, next to someone’s foot, which he followed upwards to find Jet, seated at the edge of his hammock, holding a cup in one hand that he appeared to be staring into, a single brow raised as he held it up much too close to his face.

His gaze didn’t linger long, however, as it dropped right back to the jug again, before the jug was suddenly moved, practically kicked behind the leg it happened to be next to as Jet stood up, eyes equally as wide as the two made eye contact, both simply staring in silence before one of them blurted. 

“What are you doing in here?” It took Haru a moment to realize that he was the one speaking. “Are you drinking-“

“Water?” Jet’s voice cracked a little as he answered, composing himself just enough to look serious. “Yeah, I am. This is... water. I’m just drinking water,”

Haru would have burst into laughter if the smell wasn’t making him so dizzy.

“I... don’t think that’s water.”

“It’s water. Nothing else. Trust me,” To prove his point, Jet quickly downed whatever was left, turning to the side to slam the now empty cup down onto a nearby flat branch, hair falling and obscuring his face as he shook for a moment, fighting to hold back a cough. 

Haru simply stood in the doorway, not knowing what else to do, before taking a few tentative steps forward, not wanting to just stand there and watch as the other boy choked on rice wine. 

“Jet…” Haru began slowly, getting close enough to solidly pat him on the back a couple times, trying to help him breathe, “You, uh… doing okay?”

“I’m fine,” Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, Jet stood up straighter as he properly set the cup down, letting go of the branch as he turned to face Haru. “I was just… trying this. I’ve never had it before,”

“You’ve never had water before?” Haru’s jaw went slack in mock surprise, and he couldn’t help the teasing smile that tugged at his lips as Jet sighed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

“Okay, fine. You got me. It wasn’t water.” Reaching down to pick up the jug, Jet tilted it to allow the earthbender to see the label, the unfamiliar calligraphy standing out against the dark clay as it glittered in the moonlight. “Got this thing from a raid a couple nights ago. Seemed like something valuable, so I took it. Didn’t realize what was in it, though.”

“Well… it’s a sake set. Says so right there. I really don’t know what else would be in it besides sake,”

Turning the container around so he could see for himself, Jet stared at the label, face scrunched in confusion before he scoffed, muttering a small “yeah, I knew that” under his breath as he set it back down on the floor. He then took the opportunity to sit on the floor, moving the sake behind him as he loosely crossed his legs, inviting Haru to do the same.

“Ignoring that,” Jet glanced at the earthbender seated across from him, rolling a stick that had inexplicably appeared in his hand between his thumb and pointer, focused on repeating the action as he continued, “you’re here to talk about something, right? Sneers said you wanted to talk to me earlier,”

“He did?”

“Yeah, they did,” Popping the stick back into his mouth with ease, Jet chewed on it as he clasped his hands in his lap, now giving Haru his full attention. “They didn’t really know what that something was, but… they did say it was important that I hear you out, so, whatever you want to say, go for it.”

Haru smiled softly, internally grateful that the Freedom Fighter had kept their word, before clearing his throat, wringing his hands in his lap and gathering his thoughts as he prepared to finally go through with the confrontation he’d been dreading for hours.

“Well,” Haru began, “Thank you, first of all, for hearing me out. And I’m sorry for interrupting... whatever it is you were doing in here,”

Jet glanced off to the side, continuing to chew on the end of his stick. “It’s fine, really, you don’t have to bring it-”

“Second of all, I don’t want to say anything that might make you upset, so if you don’t want to talk about it, you don’t have to. But, also, I… think it’s important, you know? To know. The answer, I mean. I, uh, won’t be sticking around for long, but I will be here. In the base, with you, and everyone else, for a bit, and I’m still… learning, about everyone and other things, so. I won’t force you, but I get it if you...”

_… Great Spirits._

As he continued to ramble apologetic nonsense, he barely processed that Jet was talking, repeating his name multiple times in an effort to get him to stop.

When Jet reached over and grabbed him by the shoulder, though, _that_ registered immediately.

“Haru, listen to me,” Jet’s voice was commanding, yet his gaze was soft as Haru looked up at him, shutting up for the time being so that the other could speak. “Calm down- It’s okay. Whatever it is you want to talk about, we can talk about it, alright?”

Any attempts to come up with a proper response quickly failed, and the earthbender simply sat there, frozen, before breaking his gaze to glance off to the side, fidgeting, unsure what to say. Jet took this as a sign to try again, squeezing his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

“The last time we talked, I snapped at you. Thought you meant something horrible, calling me Fire Nation like that. But you didn’t mean that then, and I don’t think you’d ever mean anything like that again.”

Letting go and pulling away, the young leader offered up a small smile, making a tiny “go ahead” gesture with his free hand.

“So… no hard feelings over here. I mean it, go on,”

Haru glanced back up at the boy across from him, who sat expectantly, leisurely, an arm propped up on his bent knee as he waited. Though his mind was still scattered, still processing his reassurance, he forced his thoughts down in favor of nodding, finally bringing himself to ask.

“... I want to ask about Gaipan.” He paused, watching Jet’s face carefully for any reaction, and, despite catching his smile slipping, soldiered on, finally spitting out the rest of his words. “I want to know what really happened, and what’s going on. With both you and Gaipan.”

The beat of silence that followed was rather brief. “How much do you want to know and why,”

“Just enough to know what’s going on here. No one else seems to have all of the answers. And I want to know because… I want to hear your side of the story. I just want to know the truth.”

Jet’s face continued to be unreadable, the serious look on his face refusing to budge.

Then, he broke out into a grin, shaking his head in disbelief as he did so. Haru simply blinked in confusion.

“Uh... did I say something wrong?”

“No no, you’re fine, you’re fine,” Reassuring him, Jet leaned back, moving the sake set out of the way before he leaned against the trunk the hammock hung from, deciding to make himself more comfortable. “You just sounded like someone I knew for a second. I’ll tell you what I can.”

As the sounds of distant celebration echoed in the silence, Haru quietly listened as Jet began to share his tale.

“It started many years back. This place wasn’t even built yet. The Freedom Fighters didn’t exist. It was just a handful of us, struggling to go from one day to the next. I was the only one who really knew how to put up a fight without getting burned too badly, so I helped to protect everyone else. We were always on the move; no one wanted to take in a bunch of ratty kids. They had their own to look out for.

“We were out on the streets for… weeks? Months? I don’t really remember. But I do know that it felt like forever. And that we wouldn’t last long like this. We needed a real place to stay. But those damn ash-makers were everywhere. In every house, every village, roaming the streets like it was theirs to begin with.

“We started visiting villages less and less. Told ourselves it wasn’t worth the trouble anymore. Decided to see if we could stake it out on our own for a while. Started learning the forests.

“And then, somehow, we stumbled upon this valley. And in it, we found Gaipan.

“The people of Gaipan were unlike anyone we’d ever met. They were kind. They let us in. Gave us what we needed and didn’t demand anything in return. Didn’t get mad when we asked them for help. Looked out for us. Even gave us some of the stuff we used to build our base.

“Everyone wanted to stay, and so did I. And, for once, we did.” He managed the tiniest of smiles. “That was… one of the best years of my life. I didn’t have to fight. I could breathe and not smell smoke. The streets were full of people I knew. Everyone was finally happy. I was happy.”

Then, that smile was gone. “But then, the Fire Nation came. And we were the ones to put up a fight. Ready to protect the village- our village.

“But no one else stood with us. It was just us- a handful of kids standing in the way of a fleet of Fire Nation soldiers. And they…”

Jet fell silent. Haru opened his mouth to speak, to ask if he needed to stop, but Jet simply shook his head. He drew in a shaky breath before continuing.

“They threw the rest of us out. Banned us from ever stepping foot in the village again. Forced us to live in the trees. Forced us to build this place to survive. Forced us to be on our own again.

“From then on, I swore that we would drive the Fire Nation out of our valley. For good.”

“... So what did you do,” Haru finally brought himself to ask, and Jet paused again, staring at the floor instead, clasping his hands together in his lap.

“What we could at first. Attacked supply lines, fought off their soldiers, anything that we thought would drive them away. But they just kept coming. Reinforcements came, and soon, they started stationing troops out in the forest. Setting traps, sending assassins. We were fighting an uphill battle.

“We tried thousands of plans. Some were more successful than others. But the Fire Nation was still in this valley, and the people of Gaipan… who knows how they were suffering.

“Our last plan was a gamble. A last resort. We didn’t think we’d have to use it. The sheer amount of luck we would need to pull it off made it nearly impossible. 

“But that plan was all we had left. All we needed was dumb luck and the right people. And then, the right people came.”

“Who were they?”

“... Benders. Waterbenders. They helped us do what we needed to do,”

“Wait, waterbenders?” Haru’s eyes went wide in recognition, and Jet raised a brow at him as he prattled on. “I knew a waterbender once- she helped me out before. When I got arrested… well, the first time I got arrested.”

“You never did tell me about that,”

“Oh. Right, I didn’t… I’ll, uh, tell you later. I’ll let you finish first,”

Nodding, Jet readjusted his sitting position, a look of suspicion appearing on his face for a brief second, before it disappeared, easily dismissible as a trick of the moonlight. 

“With waterbenders on our side, everything had finally fallen into place. The troops were stationed in the village, and we had raided enough of their supplies to use it all against them. The waterbenders had done their part, filling up the reservoir to the west of Gaipan- we just had to do ours.

“The Freedom Fighters set explosive barrels at the foot of the reservoir. Sneers made sure we had enough. The Duke made sure they were in position. Longshot waited for my signal.

Jet leaned back, tilting his head up, staring at the ceiling, lips pursed ever so slightly, as though he were about to whistle. 

“I sounded the call, and the dam blew.”

The silence settled uncomfortably between them. Haru stared at the teen seated across from him, who took to avoiding his gaze.

“You… flooded the whole village.” Haru finally spoke. 

Jet didn’t respond as he stared at the floor. Then, he looked up at Haru, wearing a tiny, crooked smile. 

“I did what was necessary. And now, the valley is free. Everything we did paid off. We won, Haru.”

Despite how sure Jet’s words sounded, the earthbender couldn’t deny hearing the pang of regret.

Haru didn’t know how to react. No amount of mental preparation could’ve prepared him for a revelation of this magnitude, and anything he could offer up in response felt stunted, ingenuine. A part of him felt terrified, knowing what he’d done, how many lives he’d taken. That tiny part of him screamed at him, telling him to run, to abandon sympathy in favor of getting out of there. 

And yet another… made him move forward, reaching out until his hand settled on Jet’s knee, gazing at the floor as he tried to think of the right thing to say. 

“... I’m sorry,” He managed to start, looking up at him with sympathy in his eyes. “You’ve been through so much, and to have to make a choice like that… that’s terrifying. To have to do that to a place you once knew. I can’t imagine being the one to make that call, to have to be the leader in a situation like this. 

“I won’t keep talking about it if you don’t want me to. But I think what you did… it was necessary. It was a sacrifice, but you had no other choice. Especially after all they’ve done to you, to everyone here. And it was a choice that paid off.”

Haru withdrew his hand, offering up the same tiny smile he was given before. 

“The Fire Nation is gone. You… drove them out. Just like you promised you would. Everyone here is safe now. Thanks to you and your Freedom Fighters.”

Jet finally managed to look up, gaze lifting from the floor to look Haru in the eyes, appearing to search his face for any hint of deception. 

“... We won,” He repeated, slowly, as if realizing the weight of his words. “You really think we won?”

Haru paused, then nodded. 

“That’s what you're celebrating, right? Your victory,”

“Yeah,” Jet mused, sitting up straighter, his usual surety returning to him now. “you’re right.”

The heavy atmosphere that persisted around them seemed to lift ever so slightly, and the two teens allowed themselves to be at ease for a moment, letting themselves process what had just been shared. The truth was… heavy, as it were, and the revelation still sat uncomfortably in the back of Haru’s mind. He didn’t know what to truly make of it all, if it even was the truth. 

But the unseen weight that sat upon Jet’s shoulders seemed just a little bit lighter, his usual grin slipping onto his face easily as he crossed his legs, finding a new sitting position as he began to speak again, his guarded attitude dropped for the time being. 

“Maybe we should head back out there,” The taller teen mused, glancing past Haru and at the door behind him. “They’re probably wondering where their leader went,”

“If you want to,” Haru glanced over as well, the distant sound of laughter carried along with the breeze grabbing his attention, along with the lights that peeked between the fluttering rags. “You don’t have to go just because you’re their leader,”

Shrugging, Jet decided to stand and head over to the doorway, fidgeting with his stick again, passing the other as he focused on what lay beyond the hut. “I guess, but I should still check up on them. They’re kids, you know?”

Haru, an only child, nodded as though he completely understood what he meant, deciding to stand as well, following him. “Oh. Yeah, I get it. Kids, they’re… uh, young. Always climbing trees. Running around and all that.”

Jet chuckled, much to Haru’s dismay, and the two headed out the door and down the bridge, following it towards the main platform. 

As they made their way across, Jet glanced about, before nudging Haru lightly with his elbow to get his attention.

“So, Haru…” He began, barely concealed curiosity twinkling in his eyes, “you gonna tell me about that arrest? Or am I just going to be left guessing,”

“Now that you've given me another option… maybe I’ll just leave you to guess,”

“I give you my life story and you won’t even tell me about that?” Jet appeared to be miffed, crossing his arms and shaking his head, “Can’t believe this,”

“... Well, now that you’ve put it like that,”

The other teen laughed again, and Haru felt his face burn in embarrassment, pulling at his sleeves anxiously, refusing to meet the other’s playful gaze, eventually conceding with a sigh, unable to stand the awkward silence. 

“Alright, alright, I’ll tell you… spirits, where do I even start…”

The two continued their conversation even after they’d reached the platform, choosing to sit together at the end of the table and simply chat, and, to Haru, the idle conversation they shared that night was far better than any of the food laid out in front of them. 

For once, Haru’s anxious thoughts stilled.

—

As the celebration had drawn to a close, Haru had decided that, instead of going back to his hut and sleeping, as any other person would do, the rest of his night was best spent practicing his earthbending. 

Granted, being up in the trees and separated from his element for long periods of time didn’t exactly work wonders for his bending abilities.

Managing to find his way back down with the help of a dropline, the earthbender felt himself relax the moment his feet were on solid ground. Sighing, he held up the lantern he’d taken along with him, using its dim light to help survey his surroundings, searching for a good place to practice.

It was weird, standing as still as he was, still expecting the ground to start swaying as it usually did, especially on windy nights such as these.

Yet here, far below on the root-tangled floor, everything was calm and steady. Everything was connected, solidly attached to the earth, properly grounding everything around him.

For the young bender, it was a surreal experience to simply walk about as one so casually.

Just for fun, as he headed towards a short outcropping that overlooked the nearby valley, he allowed himself to practically surf down the hill that led towards it, smoothing the earth down just enough to skim down it, the earth surging underneath his feet and sending him careening downwards, the familiar rush filling overtaking the fear of nearly launching himself off the ledge.

Skidding to a stop, Haru laughed in sheer disbelief, gazing down at the earth beneath him, mind racing with possibilities. 

Though he was excited, he elected to stick with what he knew, furtively glancing about before setting the lantern down and making an upward motion with his hands, raising up a loose portion of earth, compressing it and holding it steady, before he launched it right into the hill he’d slid down, using his fists to punch the stone into solid earth with a resounding thud.

When the dust had cleared, he picked up his lantern again to survey the damage, and smiled upon seeing that the rock was now deeply embedded in the earth.  
Setting it back down again, he continued the same practice routine, keeping his bending contained to the small area out of sheer force of habit, though he continued to ramp it up in difficulty, focusing on bending larger and larger stones, moving from the outcropping to a different overhang close by, looking for larger rocks to practice with.

As he began lifting a large stone, the sound of faint commotion caught his attention, and Haru froze, nearly dislodging the large boulder he was attempting to lift and sending it careening into the river. Stopping everything he was doing, listening again, trying to figure out what it was, but soon dismissed it and continued, positioning his hands in front of the boulder once more.

The commotion then happened again, the sounds of what seemed to be splintering wood persisting over the sounds of scraping earth.

Deciding that he’d practiced for long enough, Haru slowly lowered the large rock he was in the middle of bending back onto the ground, gaze darting about in the darkness as he attempted to figure out where those sounds were coming from. Turning around to survey the valley, he picked up his lantern, managing to catch a glimpse of a figure on the other side of the river, throwing something into it.

His heart nearly stopped when the figure moved into the moonlight, turning to face a jagged structure he could barely see.

He swore he saw them wearing Fire Nation red.

Mind racing, Haru’s body began moving before his brain could react, deciding to make his way down, bending debris out of the way to clear a path that sloped downwards, allowing him to reach the river. Sliding down quickly, he paused at the edge of it, as the strong current prevented him from going any further, along with the lack of an intact bridge.

A series of large logs that stuck out of the riverbed, however, didn’t. 

Pulling himself onto the logs, digging his fingers in the wet bark to keep himself from being swept away as the other clutched his lantern, the earthbender slowly drew closer to the opposing riverbank, nearing the source of commotion. As he was about to hop off the logs, the figure managed to spot him, and immediately turned and ran, running towards the jagged structure nearby.

For whatever reason, Haru decided to leap off of the fallen log and give chase.

As his feet pounded against the sodden earth, his fear began screaming at him, over and over, insisting that the Fire Nation was gone, that the Fire Nation was no longer here, and this was just a fluke, a single-time risk.

His thoughts prevented him from seeing the scene laid out so plainly in front of him, barely visible in the darkness.

Running towards the entrance of the structure, he vaguely registered its familiarity- though its large, earthen walls appeared to be crumbling, and the surrounding buildings were completely eviscerated, the shattered remains of an archway quickly clued him into where he really was.

The realization that he was right in front of what was left of Gaipan made Haru stop dead in his tracks.

And then, the ground disappeared from right beneath his feet.

He vaguely registered something wrapping around his ankle before he was pulled, swept right off his feet and sent sprawling, slamming back-first onto the ground. Though his head spun, he quickly attempted to get up, before the sensation of cold steel bit right under his chin, stopping him halfway, forcing him to look upwards.

Even in the darkness, he could still recognize the person who stood before him, and any response he could muster immediately died in the back of his throat, willing what he thought he saw away, wanting so desperately to blame it on his own dizziness and the nightfall that surrounded them both.

But the fallen lantern illuminated his attacker’s features, and he watched their expression shift from anger to pure shock.

He watched as they lowered their sword, reaching for the lantern, allowing him enough time to scramble backwards, trying to get away, backing right into a mess he couldn’t see in time, keeping him from going any further, some of it spilling and falling into the river behind him, the current sweeping it away.

It was then that Haru noticed the surrounding broken crates and other supplies, practically ripped and cleaved apart. Moving away from the pile, he looked over at it, and his eyes went wide upon seeing the Fire Nation insignia emblazoned upon it.

Then, he finally forced himself to turn and look up.

And there, standing before him, swords in hand, was Jet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey there!! i'm super sorry that this took so long for me to get out, between the holidays and getting a job and a general creative slump, i've been struggling, HOWEVER. i buckled down and produced what you see before you, much to your delight or detest!! i hope you enjoyed it, thank you for all of the support along the way!! drop a kudos or little Commente, as the cool kids say, i'd love to hear your thoughts!!

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! my inhibitions are now six feet below  
> if you want to yell at me feel free to do at https://listless-brainrot.tumblr.com/


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